Vanish
by Kaisa
Summary: So what would've happened if Pikachu didn't get his memory back in 'A Scare to Remember' I just hated the ending, so I wrote this... The final chapter is up now.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, hello, what do you know. I feel SOOOO terrible, but that's normal! Okay, so this is a strrrraaaannnge pokemon fanficcie that i wrote last year that is pretty long, actually. Maybe if someone wants more, i can hand it out... but otherwise...

okay, notes, notes, notes.

Pairings : a little MayxAsh fluff in the first few chappies... (not a big fan, sorrrrrrrry). other pairings are much later. (or was it just later?)

so nervous...please leave reviews?_

* * *

_

KABOOM! The noise echoed over and over again in May's head.

_Ash!_ she thought, knowing that her friend was on that hot air balloon when it exploded.

He had only jumped on to try and save Pikachu, for the poor yellow pokémon had lost his memory. Meowth had found him and filled his head with all new memories, making Pikachu really believe that he was a part of Team Rocket, and that May, Ash and the others were his enemies.

But when Team Rocket was about to make their getaway, Ash jumped onto the balloon.

James, not wanting a pretty pissed off trainer anywhere near him and the newly acquired Pikachu, had foolishly ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt. And the balloon exploded.

May ran furiously behind Max and Brock, watching Ash falling…falling… He couldn't die, it just wasn't possible.

The three were nearing a river when May heard a loud _splash!_ She knew instantly that Ash was in the river somewhere, but where? She hoped he didn't drown.

"Come on!" shouted Brock, running downstream. "I think I see him!" And he poured on his speed, making it to a fairly shallow part of the river. Once he spotted Ash, floating lifelessly in the river, he dived in.

May stood by the edge of the river with her brother, holding her breath.

"Hey, look!" Max suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a lump of wet yellow fur a few feet away from them.

"Pika…pikachu…," Pikachu said, coughing. He then noticed the others and stood straight up. "Pika!" he said menacingly, sparks flying from his cheeks.

May and Max backed away, Max commenting, "I guess Pikachu still can't remember anything."

Just then, Jessie, James and Meowth splashed on shore.

"At least…we had something…softer than the ground this time…," Jessie sighed.

"It's a wonder we nevah die after all those falls!" Meowth replied.

"Ah! Pikachu!" James exclaimed, running over to the mouse pokémon. "I was so worried!"

Pikachu jumped on James's shoulder and cooed cutely.

James scratched Pikachu under the chin and looked to May and Max curiously. They appeared to be…what? Afraid?

"Ha-ha!" he laughed. "Yes, you should be scared, because now we have Pikachu! You shouldn't mess with us and our plans ever again!" And with that, he happily led Jessie and Meowth away from there, probably to find another one of their bases.

May turned her eyes back on the river. She could see Brock making his way back to shore with Ash, but was having a hard time.

_And now I wish I had a water pokémon,_ she thought. But as soon as the thought sank in, she got another idea. She grabbed a pokéball from her bag and threw it.

"Bulbasaur, I choose you!"

Bulbasaur appeared in front of her, looking up questioningly.

"Bulbasaur, I need you to use Vine Whip to carry Brock and Ash out of the water!" May said quickly, and the pokémon hurried to comply.

Max nodded approvingly. "Good idea, May!"

But Bulbasaur wasn't having a lot of luck lifting both Ash and Brock out at the same time with his not-fully-developed vines.

"Forget about me, I can swim myself!" Brock called out to them. "Just take Ash!"

May nodded and gave new orders to her Bulbasaur.

After Brock and Ash were on shore, May looked to Ash worriedly. "You sure he's going to be okay?" she asked Brock.

Brock nodded. "Of course. He's just unconscious from the fall, but he wasn't in for too long. He should wake up soon."

* * *

So that night they made camp. Ash still hadn't woken up yet, so he was in the tent, snug as a bug in a rug while the others were eating dinner.

May had to admit that she was terribly scared about Ash. Almost dying, she knew.

"…Do you guys think Ash will really feel better when he wakes up?" Max asked.

"Absolutely," Brock answered. "He just needs a little rest to recover from the fall."

"That's not what I mean," Max said carefully. "What I really meant was…… Ash is still going to be upset about Pikachu…isn't he?"

Brock sighed. "Of course he will be. Those two have been together forever. Ever since Ash began his pokémon journey a few years ago…" He smiled slightly. "Those two were as determined as hell to win at every gym. And they're both so stubborn too. Did he ever tell you guys about how he and Pikachu defeated a Raichu once?"

Max's eyes widened. "Really? That's so awesome, Pikachu must be real strong!"

May, on the other hand, was confused. "What's a Raichu?"

"The evolved form of Pikachu, of course," Max replied matter-of-factly.

"Huh." And May pulled out her pokédex.

"Raichu—the mouse pokémon. The evolved form of Pikachu. If it stores too much electricity, its behavior turns aggressive. To avoid this, it occasionally discharges excess energy and calms itself down," the pokédex whirred.

May returned the pokédex to her bag. "Wow."

Brock smiled as memories of Ash and Pikachu resurfaced in his mind. "I remember when Ash, Misty, Pikachu and I were traveling, when we ran across a Hitmonchan. Ash was determined to beat it at its own game, so he began teaching Pikachu some moves. They were actually pretty good… But they don't call them fighting pokémon for nothing!" He looked to the intrigued May and Max. "Those two pulled off so many tough wins, I can't even remember half of them. They were just so awesome together."

"Wow," May said again. She thought of all that had happened that day… Pikachu's and Ash's friendship torn to shreds because of Team Rocket… Now Pikachu is working with Team Rocket without a care, while Ash was miserable. Her eyes watered as her own memories of Pikachu came up in her mind.

She was about to turn away from the two others, so they wouldn't see her cry, but was interrupted by a flash of white.

"Naaaaah!"

May sweat dropped. "Skitty, you let yourself out of your ball again."

Skitty jumped on her lap and cuddled his head into May. "Nahh!"

Brock looked up. "Yeah, I'm done putting the pokémon food in the bowls, so you can let your other pokémon eat, May." And with that he grabbed his own three pokéballs. "Lombre, Forretress, Mudkip, it's dinner time!" The three pokémon began to eat, while Max fingered a few other pokéballs.

"Well, here goes nothing," Max said, grabbing the pokéballs and throwing them in the air. "Grovyle, Swellow, Corphish, Torkoal! Come on out and grab a bite!"

Ash's pokémon came out in front of Max and began to eat immediately, not even noticing that Ash himself wasn't even with the rest of them.

"Beautifly! Combusken! Bulbasaur!" May threw her last three pokéballs. When she was done, she turned back to the others again, knowing that the same thing was on everyone's mind. _When will Pikachu get his memory back?

* * *

_

Blurry. Everything was blurry. Why? What happened? Wait—it's beginning to clear up…

Ash blinked open his eyes and found himself inside the tent. Confused, he tried to remember what had happened.

_Oh, yeah. Team Rocket's balloon… Pikachu…_, Ash thought. He shook his head. _No! It must have been a dream. Pikachu didn't get amnesia! He's probably outside with the others right now!_ And with that, Ash pulled himself to his feet and walked out of the tent, going over to where he spotted the others.

Brock noticed him first. "Hey, Ash, you're awake! Come on over here and get some dinner!"

So Ash seated himself on the grass between Brock and May, but his eyes were searching for his best friend…Pikachu…

He forced a laugh. "I had the most terrible nightmare," he told the others. "Pikachu lost his memory and went to work for Team Rocket." He looked around again. "Where _is_ Pikachu, anyway?"

Brock stared at him. "Um, Ash…? That wasn't a nightmare. It was _real_."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up there for a second. I'm pretty sure it was just a dream…right? No, that's right, I know it. Pikachu would—"

"It was _real_, Ash, _real_," Brock said firmly.

"But…but… Then what happened after I fell into the river! Don't tell me Pikachu drowned in there!"

Brock shook his head. "You were knocked unconscious. Pikachu made it out okay, but then he left with Team Rocket."

Full realization hit Ash like a wave. He slammed a fist into the fairly sized rock near him, ignoring the pain. Ash then got up and began to walk away.

May's eyes widened as she saw Ash hit the rock without even flinching, but then spoke up as he started walking away from them all. "Wait, Ash! Where are you going?"

"Away. To think. I'll be back later," he replied, going off into the woods nearby.

"Torkoal torkoal!" Torkoal exclaimed. He and the other pokémon didn't hear about what happened to Pikachu at all, but Torkoal was worried that Ash just went into the woods like that… Who knows when wild pokémon might jump you. So the faithful turtle pokémon trotted on in behind his trainer.

Ash walked on in, past all the bushes and trees, and when he came to a small clearing in the woods, he fell to his knees and clenched his fists, thinking, _No, this can't be true. Pikachu's going to remember. He's going to snap out of it! And when he does, he's going to come back…_

He could remember the scene earlier that day, when James had ordered Pikachu to Thunderbolt him. Pain had racked Ash's entire body, driving him back. He had never known how much it hurt to have Pikachu's Thunderbolt used on him. He was used to Pikachu shocking him, but _Thunderbolting_ him was a completely different matter.

"…Pikachu…," Ash breathed. _He'll come out of it, I know it. He's probably beating up Team Rocket right now for what they did to him… Feeding him all those lies…_

"Koal, torkoal!"

Ash looked behind him to see Torkoal coming up beside him.

"Tor?" Torkoal asked.

Ash sighed. "You don't know what happened to Pikachu, do you, Torkoal?"

Torkoal stared at him questioningly. "Koal? Torkoal, torkoal."

So Ash told him the whole story, starting off when Team Rocket first appeared that morning, and ending when he fell into the river.

Torkoal stared at him blankly, mouth agape, when Ash was done with his story. The pokémon seemed to be digesting the story. But once it hit him, tears spouted from his eyes. "Tor tork tor…koal…kooooooaaaaaal!"

When the fire pokémon stopped crying, he looked at Ash sympathetically, not saying anything, but trying to comfort him nonetheless.

Ash rubbed him on the head. "It's okay, Torkoal. Pikachu _is_ going to be alright. He's gonna get his memory back, okay?" But it sounded like he was really trying to convince himself that what he just said was true. "Why don't you head back to camp? I'll be along later. I just need some time alone…"

"Tor…koaaal!" Tears sprang from Torkoal's eyes again, but he walked away, leaving Ash alone with his thoughts.

* * *

May spotted Torkoal walking back out of the woods, head hung low, apparently feeling sad. Torkoal trudged over to the other pokémon and collapsed, tears spilling from his face.

_Ash must've told him what happened. Well, we all know that Torkoal is really sensitive…,_ May thought as she saw Mudkip walk over to Torkoal.

"Mud? Mud_kip? _Kip, mudkip!" he asked.

Once the words were out of Mudkip's mouth, Torkoal let loose a mouthful himself, obviously telling the small water pokémon everything that happened to Ash and the others that day, even though Mudkip already knew most of it.

But right now, May was just worried about Ash. She could just spot traces of blood on the rock that Ash hit, and she could just imagine the cuts on his knuckles… He didn't even eat dinner. She was wondering if he would be okay…

_He will when Pikachu comes back. I mean, Pikachu can't lose his memory for good!_ May sighed. _Well, at least there's a bright side to all this chaos._

She then found herself wondering when they would reach Lilycove City. Brock said that it wasn't too far away, and that they _should_ be there tomorrow, but… May didn't know if Ash wanted to continue just yet. He might want to look for Pikachu, even though he would probably be at one of Team Rocket's many bases…

_We'll get him back eventually. Pikachu just needs some time to find his old memories,_ May thought, trying to reassure herself again.

But that's all she could manage right now. Reassure herself, hope for the best, keep faith.

_I might be able to handle it for a while, but what about Ash?

* * *

_

"And dat's your life story, Pikachu!" Meowth exclaimed to the little yellow mouse pokémon.

"Pik pikachu…"

"What do yah mean, yah can't believe it? You're a hero among us! Best Team Rocket membah evah! But remember… It was Meowth who taught yah everything yah know…" Meowth wiped a fake tear from his left eye. "You were my best student ever… Look how much you've learned…"

Pikachu cocked his head to one side and smiled. "Pika, ka."

"No problem, buddy! At least yah know where you really belong!"

"Pi chu ka pi kachu ka pik ka…"

"What? You said you really feel like yah belong here? Well, yah should! You're always gonna belong here!" Meowth changed the subject. "But more importantly, yah now know how dangerous those twoips are."

"PIKA PIKA!" Pikachu shouted angrily. "Chu…pika pika…"

"Look, I _know_ yah wanna Thunderbolt 'em till they die, but—"

Sparks began fly from Pikachu's cheeks. "Chu pika ka pikachu!"

"The twoip with the hat? What about him?"

"Pikachu, pika, pika!"

"You feel like you and him are born enemies? Yah wanna kick his ass?" Meowth asked, deeply pleasured. Revenge. How sweet it was… What could be sweeter than beating your rival with the one pokémon that he used to beat you? And since Pikachu is—_was_—the twerp's best friend, it just made the whole thing that much sweeter.

Pikachu nodded vigorously.

_Pikachu can really be a kind-hearted pokémon. He's gotta be the nicest, bravest, strongest pokémon I've evah met!_ Meowth thought. _But when he gets angry, he really gets angry! Good thing Meowth turned him against the twoip! _He inwardly congratulated himself once again. He was really beginning to feel good about himself. _Yep, I'm top cat alright!_

He gave Pikachu another smile. "Well, we'll try 'n let yah go at him when we see those twoips again, okay?"

"Pika…" And with that, Pikachu walked away, satisfied with the answer.

Once Pikachu was out of hearing range, Jessie and James came up to Meowth.

"What did Pikachu say?" Jessie asked. "He isn't getting suspicious about us, is he? Does he show signs of remembering…everything? Anything?"

"You're not gonna believe dis, you two, but Pikachu says he wants to kick his old trainer's ass," Meowth answered calmly, folding his arms across his chest and smiling.

James's face showed surprise and maybe a little confusion, but Jessie's face looked like she was deeply and completely pleased with this fact.

"But won't Pikachu regain his memory once again? It can't last forever, right?" James inquired, not wanting to wake up one morning to a Pikachu who had his memories fully restored.

"Actually…," Meowth began. "I'm beginning to think that if we keep filling up Pikachu's head up with phony memories, his chances of gettin' his real memory back would gettin' smaller and smaller!"

Jessie clapped her hands happily. "This is just too good! Finally _something_ goes right!"

"Yes, but when will we give Pikachu to the boss?" James queried, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

That statement caught both Jessie and Meowth by surprise. Of course they had to hand Pikachu over to the boss…but…

"We _will_ give Pikachu to the boss! …Just not yet," Jessie said. "How many times has that twerp made us blast off? He needs a taste of his own medicine! I'm going to keep getting revenge on him until I'm satisfied!"

Wobbuffet popped out of no where and added, "Woooobbuffet!"

James and Meowth knew they really had to get Pikachu to the boss, but Jessie's idea sounded much better, so they both nodded in agreement.

* * *

It was not until late at night when Ash walked out of the woods himself. He could hear the crickets chirping in the distance. The campfire that Brock had made had been put out hours ago, and since Ash couldn't spot his three friends anywhere, he assumed that they were in the tent, asleep.

_Well, I'm not going to barge into the tent and wake everyone up,_ Ash thought. _And it's not like I'm going to fall asleep out here, where the mosquitoes will eat me alive…_

He shrugged. _I guess I can explore the area some more… I'm not really tired anyway. I can't get to sleep with…with Pikachu on my mind…_

He just couldn't stop thinking about the small yellow pokémon. Every time he blinked, an old memory of him and Pikachu would pop up. So many good times… And it was all gone. Pikachu was the only one he could really confide in. He could tell him anything that was on his mind. And Pikachu would always understand…always…

Ash shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and strode off into the woods again. It's not like he had anywhere else to go.

He found a small pool of water in the middle of the forest, and he decided to stay here for a while.

So he sat himself down, resting his head in his hands, and his elbows on his knees. He closed his eyes, telling himself that he was just resting his eyes for a minute. He wasn't going to fall asleep…

But even as he thought that, he drifted off…

"_Hey! Pikachu!" Ash called, coming out of the bushes, with May, Max and Brock behind him. Pikachu was right in front of one of Team Rocket's bases, and Team Rocket was a few feet away from him._

"_Pika?" Pikachu asked, turning to look at him._

_Team Rocket spun around and stared at Ash. "The twerps!" the cried in unison._

"_It's Team Rocket!" Max said._

"_I was so worried about you, Pikachu," Ash began, stepping forward._

"_Pi? Pika?"_

"_Hey!" Meowth interrupted. "Don't forget, we're your buddies! Those twoips are bad people who only wanna hurt yah!"_

"_Pika!"_

"_That's not true!" Ash protested. To Pikachu, he added, "Hey, don't yah remember, buddy? It's me."_

"_Pi…pika…," Pikachu said, looking unsure._

"_He's a liar!" Meowth shouted from behind Pikachu._

"_Pika! …Pi!" Pikachu took one last look at Ash, and then turned his back on him and went over to Team Rocket._

"_Wait! Pikachu!" Ash said, not believing his eyes._

_Pikachu stopped right near Jessie. "Pika!"_

"_What's going on?" May asked, but Ash could just barely hear her. There were too many thoughts spinning through his head at the moment._

"_They're up to something…," Brock stated._

_Ash began to step closer and closer to Pikachu. "You don't remember who those guys are, do you?"_

"_Prepare for trouble, that's not your concern," Jessie began._

"_Make it double, things have taken a turn!" James added._

"_To protect the world from devastation."_

"_To unite all peoples within our nation."_

"_To denounce the evils of truth and love."_

"_To extend our reach to the stars above."_

"_Jessie."_

"_And James."_

"_Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"_

"_Surrender now, or prepare for a fight!"_

"_Meowth, that's right!"_

_Pikachu knew his cue and back flipped next to the other three. "Pika pika!"_

_Ash was confused and hurt. "But…Pikachu…"_

"_We did it, we did it!" Jessie exclaimed happily._

"_All good things come to those who wait," James said, arms folded across his chest, apparently pleased as well._

"_And waiting is one thing we do right!" Meowth added._

"_How could Pikachu…become a member of Team Rocket?" Max inquired, but he received no answer._

_Ash took yet another step towards Pikachu. "Pikachu… Come on, those three are our enemies, remember?"_

_Pikachu sharply turned his head away from Ash. "Pika pika!"_

_Jessie began to laugh. "I love it! It seems as what goes around does come around!" She leaned toward Ash, placing her hands on her hips. "This is for all those times you made us blast off."_

"_Okay! Time to let those twoips have it, Pikachu!" Meowth pointed at Ash as he said this._

"_Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed._

"_How many times have I dreamed of this moment?" James asked. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt Attack! Let's go!"_

"_Piiika…CHUUUUUUU!" Pikachu let out a bolt of lightning._

_Ash screamed as the Thunderbolt hit him head on, flinging him back and bringing three cries of "Ash! No!" from the others._

_Jessie squealed. "Brilliant!"_

_James was giddy after the direct hit. "It's good to be alive!"_

_Ash got up slowly. "I don't understand it… Pikachu doesn't remember me," he said softly to himself._

"_Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt now!" Meowth ordered._

"_Piikachuuuu!" Another Thunderbolt flew from Pikachu._

_Ash screamed again, the intense pain ripping through him. But what hurt him even more was that it was his Pikachu that was doing it to him… His best friend… Hurting him… Ash flew back and landed on the ground._

"_Oh no!" Max cried out._

"_Pikachu, stop!" May shouted, sounding worried and afraid._

_Ash pulled himself into a sitting position. "Pikachu, it's me…" But Pikachu wasn't going to listen…_

_No…Pikachu…no, you can't just forget about me… You can't join Team Rocket… Pikachu……!_

Ash awoke with a start, breathing heavily.

He knew what happened in his…nightmare…was real. It was exactly what happened earlier that day… It was all true, painfully true.

"Oh, Pikachu," Ash whispered, his eyes beginning to sting. He then quickly sniffed, fighting back the tears that threatened to rip through… He wasn't going to let himself cry now.

When he got Pikachu back—and he _would_ get him back—he was going to seriously kick Team Rocket's asses for what they did to Pikachu.

* * *

that's it! ... now what did i want to say? Oh, yesh, the dream sequence was from the episode. (Cept for the thoughts), soi DO NOT OWN IT. I don't own Pokemon either! I only own my stupid ideas for fan fiction.

Do you want more?

Do you dare click on that button below?

(by the way... in much, much, MUCH later chapters, we deal with character death. squee! I mean...oh, what a shame... not that i hate the character, i just like putting my favorite ones threw hell... oh, that doesn't sound good, does it?)

til next time... maybe?

-Kaisa


	2. Chapter 2

I'm so glad that people reviewed for the first chappie, so i thought i'd put another one up! I know i'm not allowed to answer reviewers here(because i can just hit the reply button), but can i answer the anonymous ones here, right? Oh well, they need to be answered.

Thank you??? (nice name... lol)

advanceshipping fan - i can't tell you who dies. i'll get in trouble with myself...

And is it just me, or are the angst stories here are always dead? (maybe it's just me...) please, angst-writers! WRITE! (I have an imaginary shirt that says "I LOVE ANGST FAN FICTION")

more warnings that i just thought up. okay, so yes, be aware that i write some needless bloodshed. people run away many, many, many times, and I was in a different universe when i wrote this. What a wonderful universe it was though! (Maybe i'll continue the journey tonight)

I still don't own Pokemon.

By the way, when i wrote this, we were just leaving Lilycove. So in the story, May still uses Combusken, but we leave out that Kelly chick, and...oh, you'll see.

* * *

May awoke the next morning, finding Max still asleep in the sleeping bag a few feet away from her, and Brock also still asleep even farther away from her.

But the problem was, Ash wasn't in _his_ sleeping bag. And May didn't remember him coming in the last night.

May stretched her arms out and went into the separate part of the tent to get changed privately. When she was done, she went outside and found Ash sitting right where he was the last night before he went into the woods.

"Hey, Ash," she said quietly, seating herself beside him.

Ash took a small glance at her, but then turned his gaze away. "Morning, May."

"So when did you get back last night?"

Ash was silent for a while before answering, "Late."

May pondered over this for a minute. "Um… Brock did say we might be able to set out for Lilycove City… Do you think…?" her question trailed off. She wasn't exactly sure how she was going to word it…

"Of course, May. We should keep going. I'm absolutely fine," Ash responded flatly.

"Okay…" May paused, but when Ash said nothing, she spoke up again. "Pikachu's going to get his memory back, you know."

Ash didn't answer that. But he did say something. "You know, Pikachu was my very first pokémon. I didn't even _want_ a Pikachu. But I overslept on the day when I was supposed to go get my pokémon, and so when I finally got there, the pokémon I really wanted was already gone. So I was stuck with Pikachu… I'm glad I got there late…"

May didn't respond. Without Pikachu, Ash was acting like a completely different person… Not that person who he was the other day when he was talking about how psyched he was for his next gym battle… She wondered if he even _wanted_ to go to his next gym battle anymore.

She looked to Ash again, who was gazing to the horizon, completely silent.

_Whoa… 'Ash' and 'completely silent' do NOT belong in the same sentence!_ May thought.

Just then, Ash and May heard two huge yawns from behind them, and when May turned around, she saw a groggy looking Brock and a half asleep Max.

"Hey, guys," Max mumbled, plopping himself next to May and watching Brock begin breakfast.

"Morning, my sleepyhead brother," May responded, poking Max. "I was actually beginning to wonder if you were going to sleep all day long…"

Max yawned again. "I was just tired, 'kay? We all were. Right, Ash?" He looked to Ash, wanting some support.

Ash eyes almost drooped when he heard the word 'sleep', and reminded himself that he had barely gotten any sleep the last night… Not after that nightmare…

"…Ash?" Max asked again, waving a hand in front of Ash's face. "Hellooo? Anyone in there? Yah know, Ash, you look _real_ tired. Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"Not by a long shot," Ash replied bluntly.

"Well, I didn't hear you come in the tent last night, so you must have been out for a pretty long time," Brock commented. "I stayed up real late to be there when you got back… But I guess I fell asleep, huh?"

"Uh, yeah…, I guess so…"

Brock changed the subject. "So, we can set out to Lilycove City today and be there by tonight… What do you think, Ash?"

Ash glanced at him. "Why are you asking me? If we're going, we're going."

"But Team Rocket—" Max began.

"If I know Team Rocket—and believe me, I do—they'll probably run into us sometime… I mean, they still steal pokémon…," Ash cut Max off. "Besides… Pikachu's going to get his memory back real soon, and then he's going to come back to us."

Brock turned away from the other quickly, trying to hide the worried expression on his face.

"What is it, Brock?" May asked, catching a glimpse of his face.

"Umm…nothing… It's just that Pikachu…" he trailed off, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

"What about Pikachu?" Ash asked coldly, not liking Brock's tone of voice.

"Um, Ash… You do know that Pikachu may…may never…"

"Never what!" Ash queried impatiently, now staring at Brock intently.

Brock took a deep breath and met Ash's gaze steadily. "There is a chance that Pikachu won't regain his memory… Especially if Team Rocket keeps filling his head with false memories…"

Ash quickly looked away. Pikachu losing his memory was one thing, but _completely_ losing it for good was something else. "You really could've told me sooner," he mumbled.

"I didn't want to worry you," Brock responded.

Ash paused for a long time. "You should've told me anyway…"

After that, it was pretty silent throughout breakfast. And when they were all done eating, Brock told them that they were going to hit the road again, but not before shooting Ash an 'are-you-sure?' look.

Ash just nodded and let Brock and Max lead the way.

* * *

They reached the edge of Lilycove City just in time to eat a late supper.

May sat herself on a bench near a telephone pole and helped herself to some of Brock's food. It had been a long day, and the trip had been pretty much uneventful. Ash, she and the others had noticed, stayed silent the whole trip, only leaving them to strike up a conversations among themselves.

May threw a glance at Ash, who was behind her on the grass, but before she could say something, her eyes caught onto the banner that was stuck to the telephone pole.

"It's…an ad for a contest!" she exclaimed excitedly. She looked to the others. "You guys don't mind if I enter, right? Right? Right?"

"I don't mind," Max and Brock answered in unison.

"How 'bout you, Ash?" May asked, looking over to Ash who was now absentmindedly pulling blades of grass out of the ground. When he didn't answer, May pressed. "Ash…hello?"

"Hm?" Ash looked up at her. "Were you talking to me?"

May put her hands on her hips, slightly annoyed. "Yes, I was. I was trying to ask you if you would mind if I entered myself in the Lilycove contest that's the day after tomorrow."

"Oh… Yeah, sure, May. Go for it…"

May nodded. "I better start practicing tomorrow!" She looked at Ash yet again. "And would you _please_ stop abusing the grass!" She turned her attention from him and smiled. "I've got to win my third ribbon here!" And she hopped of to get to sleep so she could wake up early the next day.

But before she could go too far, Max called out, "Hey, what pokémon are you going to use?"

May stopped in her tracks. Well, when she won her first ribbon, she had used Beautifly… And when she won her second, she had used Skitty… The last contest she entered went horribly, and she had used Bulbasaur…

"I think I'll use Combusken this time!" she called back to him. "So I'll start practicing with him first thing tomorrow!"

* * *

From the bushes just twenty feet away, Jessie, James, Meowth, and Pikachu were watching carefully.

"Do I hear revenge?" Jessie whispered.

"What are you talking about, Jessie?" James asked.

"She's got an evil plan, I know it!" Meowth said.

Jessie pulled Meowth, James and Pikachu into a huddle. "This is the plan. When twerpina is training with her Combusken tomorrow… Well, if she ever leaves Combusken with twerpo—"

"Wait. Which twerpo? The tall one, the short one, or the one with the hat?" James asked. There were too many twerps these days, and since they called all four of them 'twerp', they made up a slightly new system. Twerpina or twerpette was the girl twerp. Twerpo meant one of the boys. They still called them 'twerp' in general, but this system was so they wouldn't get their twerps mixed up when they talked about their evil plans.

"The twerpo with the _hat_, duh!" Jessie hissed.

Pikachu's cheeks began to spark, and it took all of Team Rocket's self-control to prevent themselves from backing away. They would get used to Pikachu sparking but not frying them eventually.

"Anyway," Jessie continued. "If she leaves her Combusken with _the_ twerpo… We can jump out and get some more revenge."

"How?" James asked.

"Well, this is what we'll do…" And Jessie explained her plan to the others.

Meowth looked up after she was done explaining. "Um, what if da other twoipos are dere too? Can we still pull it off?"

"Of course," Jessie replied. "It doesn't really matter who's _there_. It just matters that it _happens_. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, happy with the plan.

* * *

The next day, Ash sat in the grass, watching May practice with Combusken. He had to admit, they were pretty good, and Combusken's new moves were great. Back when Combusken was a Torchic, he couldn't learn cool moves like Fire Spin or Sky Uppercut.

Max and Brock had gone ahead to get some good food from a local restaurant, and May said that she would join them later. As for Ash, he wasn't too hungry at the moment, so he didn't say anything.

And yesterday, when they were traveling. Ash just felt so uncomfortable without the familiar weight of Pikachu on his shoulder… Without Pikachu to talk to… Just…empty. That the only word Ash could describe it with.

_Or maybe I'm just feeling empty…,_ Ash thought.

He tried to concentrate on May, trying to get his mind off the subject that Pikachu just wasn't there anymore, and that he might never come back…

"Combusken, use Sky Uppercut!" May called out.

The claws on Combusken's hand began to glow, and he brought his claws up to present a powerful attack.

When Combusken was done, he looked pretty tired. Ash couldn't blame him—May had been practicing with him for almost an hour.

"Okay, Combusken, that should do for now. You're going to do great in that contest tomorrow! But right now…let's get you some breakfast." May looked around, but didn't find the pokémon food. She almost smacked her forehead. "Brock must have the pokémon food." She turned to Ash. "I'm going to get the pokémon food, and maybe pick some breakfast up for myself. Can you stay here with Combusken?"

"Sure…"

"Okay. Thanks, Ash!" And before Ash knew it, May was out of sight.

He looked to Combusken. "Well, I guess it's just you and me now, isn't it?"

"Bus…ken…," Combusken replied, looking to Ash warily. "Combusken?"

"What is it?" Ash asked curiously.

"Busken combusken ken busken combusken bus…"

Ash sighed, beginning to figure out what Combusken was trying to say. "Are you worried about Pikachu?"

Combusken nodded, but then pointed at Ash.

"And you're worried about me?"

Combusken nodded again.

"Well, you don't have to… At least, you don't have to worry about _me_. _I'm_ fine. Absolutely _fine_. You _should_ be worried about Team Rocket, because once I get my hands on them…they're going to be _so_ sorry…," Ash said, anger ringing through each and every word he spoke.

"Oh, we're shaking in our boots!" came a feminine voice from the bushes.

_I know that voice,_ Ash thought, his anger growing. "Okay, Team Rocket, get the hell out here!"

And out of the bushes jumped Jessie, James, Meowth, and Pikachu.

"Prepare for trouble, revenge is the plan!" Jessie sang out.

"Make it double, because you know that you can!" James continued, just as happy as Jessie.

_And aren't they all just wonderful rays of sunshine,_ Ash thought sarcastically, tuning out most of the rest of their little motto—or whatever it was supposed to be.

"—Prepare to fight, fight, fight!" James finished.

"You got dat right!" Meowth said.

Pikachu jumped next to Meowth. "Pikachu!"

"Woooobbuffet!" The blue pokémon let himself out of Jessie's pokéball again.

"Chime chime chime!" said James's Chimecho, in that soothing voice.

But Ash wasn't comforted in the least. "What do _you_ want!"

"Weren't you _listening?_ Revenge, of course!" Jessie answered, acting bored. "Aren't you glad _we_ begin to win for a change?"

Ash glared at them. "Yeah, that's right. Enjoy it while you can, 'cause it ain't gonna last that much longer! Pikachu is going to come to his senses soon enough. I _know_ so."

"Whatever gets you to sleep at night, twerp," James responded with a yawn, and Pikachu jumped on his shoulder.

Ash flinched. When was the last time Pikachu jumped on _his_ shoulder? "What are you guys going to do?" Ash asked them, hoping he could still kick their asses without hurting Pikachu.

"Easy," Jessie answered. "We're going to have Pikachu attack twerpette's Combusken. You do know that Combusken really can't defend himself against Pikachu…unless he attacks him…"

"KEN!" Combusken shouted.

"Never! I'm never going to attack Pikachu!" Ash added, just as angry as Combusken.

"Then are you just going to stand there while your twerpfriend's Combusken gets an electric attack? You're just going to stand there and watch her pokémon get tortured like that?" Jessie inquired, a smile on her face.

Ash didn't respond. No way was he going to let Combusken get hurt, and no way was he going to let Pikachu get hurt…

James mimicked Jessie's smile. "I'm gonna make Pikachu use one of his attacks in five seconds, so you better make up your mind."

"Combus," Combusken exclaimed, his eyes flashing. Ash knew he wasn't going to attack Pikachu, but it was like he was telling him that he could take it.

Ash shook his head at Combusken. "There's no way in hell I'm going to let you guys hurt Pikachu or Combusken!" he shouted.

"You've got to make up your mind, twerp. Who's going to get an attack? Combusken…or Pikachu?" James asked.

Ash bit his lip.

James smirked. "Okay, Pikachu! Use Thunder, now!"

Pikachu jumped off James's shoulder and began charging electricity. Since Pikachu looked like he was gaining a lot of power, Ash thought it may take a few seconds.

"So who's it gonna be?" Meowth asked.

_I'm not going to let my pokémon hurt May's Combusken!_ Ash then made a split second decision. "Me!" he yelled, in answer to Meowth's question, jumping in front of Combusken just as Pikachu let out his Thunder attack.

_His most powerful attack,_ Ash thought quietly, watching the huge beam of lightning arc towards him… He could just glimpse Pikahchu's smirking face…he _liked_ to do this to him…

Just then, white hot pain swept across Ash's body. He heard a screaming in a distance and briefly wondered whose it was…

He barely felt himself getting blown back several feet. Ash still heard that same person screaming, but it stopped abruptly when he slammed into the ground. He realized it was him screaming all along.

His whole body screaming, Ash couldn't even make out the happy words Team Rocket were singing. He could taste blood in his mouth, and noticed that he was biting hard on his tongue.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail Attack! Let's do it!" someone's shout hit Ash's eardrums like a sledgehammer.

He then felt like someone dragged a tip of a torch along his leg, and it began to hurt like…like… Ash couldn't describe it. He had never felt this much pain…ever… _I think…I think Pikachu's Iron Tail just…just grazed me…,_ Ash thought.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Another shout…another sledgehammer.

And more pain. Ash felt himself getting thrown in the air again, but this time his forehead connected with a rock, bringing instant darkness.

* * *

Whew. Okay, want the next one? I can get it out fast, because i already have the whole story finished. If you want it, there's a magic button that gets it here faster. Maybe you should try it...


	3. Chapter 3

And here's the next chapter! yay! I hope everyone is liking it so far...

Now i answer the anonomous reviewers.

? - I GOT IT OUT FAST! (lol) thanks for the much needed enthusiasm. I know it was so evil, but you have to do it once in a while. (evil grin) lol

Ash and May 4ever - Thank you, and you'll have to read to find out.

I still don't own Pokemon. If I did, understand that I would fill it with so much angst, people would be crying every episode.

And here we go again.

* * *

"Mmm, those pancakes were almost as good as the ones that Mom makes," Max commented, rubbing his belly and following May and Brock out of the restaurant.

"I hear that," May added, smacking her lips. "But I hope Combusken didn't get too hungry waiting for me to return with the pokémon food…"

"I'm sure he's fine," Brock said. "And May, did Ash mention why _he_ didn't come to breakfast?"

"Well, he did say he wasn't hungry earlier this morning, but don't worry about it, because he'll probably be complaining about his empty stomach at lunch," May answered.

"Hey, look!" Max said, pointing to the sky. "It's a hot air balloon!"

May looked at the balloon. "If it's any balloon other than Team Rocket's, I'll be happy," she replied sourly.

Just then, Brock spotted something sprinting toward them. Turned out to be Combusken.

"Com! Busken, ken com… Combus…ken bus…," he cried, catching his breath.

May's eyes widened. "What's wrong Combusken? Where's Ash?"

"Ken, busken!" And Combusken ran away, apparently wanting the others to follow.

"I wonder what Combusken's problem is," Max muttered, not wanting to run after he had just eaten a ton of pancakes. But it did sound urgent… So he followed the others.

May was pouring on a lot of speed. She knew her Combusken, and when he speaks like _that_, she _knows_ something is wrong. She was way ahead of the other two, and reached Combusken's destination first.

Combusken raised a claw and pointed to—

"Oh, my God!" May cried in horror. "Ash!" She ran over to his limp form. "Ash…you gotta…wake…up… Ash, are you okay? …Oh, my God…" She looked him over.

He looked like a wreck. His clothes smelled…singed. A nasty looking cut on his forehead that was drizzling blood down his face…

But what was most noticeable was a big rip on the left side of the left pant leg of Ash's pants, from just above his knee down to his ankle, revealing a long cut just as big underneath.

May gasped and began to cry. What happened? What?

She didn't even notice Brock and Max come up behind her. Max had just gasped and backed away slowly, while Brock rushed forward and felt for Ash's pulse.

"He's still alive, but he's unconscious…," he informed Max and May. He then ripped open the tear in Ash's pants a little more. "Max, please get me the antiseptic and the bandages…"

May just couldn't stop crying. Seeing Ash like this… Just the sight of him sent tears streaming down her face. And she was the one who had left him there alone. _Wait, not alone,_ May corrected herself. _I left him with Combusken… What happened then? How…?_

Brock grabbed the antiseptic from Max and drenched a part of a hand towel with it. He then carefully applied the towel to Ash's big cut…

"Ow…," groaned Ash, his eyes flickering.

Brock and May leaned in closer. "Ash, are you awake?" Brock asked.

"Would…I be talking…if I was…asleep?" Ash countered quietly.

"Ash!" May cried, not hesitating as she hugged Ash tightly.

Ash was more than a little surprised. "Umm… May… That…kinda hurts…"

May jumped back. "Sorry!"

Brock pressed the towel to Ash's leg again. "What happened, Ash?"

"OW!" Ash protested as the antiseptic stung into his skin. "Cut it out!" And he did his best to sit up. He did, eventually, painfully. He snatched the towel from Brock. "I'll do that myself, thank…you…very much…"

He dabbed his cut carefully, but while he was doing it, he drew a look from Brock.

"What happened?" Brock asked again.

"Combusken," Combusken said guiltily.

"Don't be that way," Ash told Combusken. "It…it was my choice…" He looked to Brock, unsure. "Um… Team Rocket…dropped by…"

"Please don't tell me you did something stupid," Brock pleaded, beginning to help Ash bandage his leg.

Ash sighed, feeling tired and sore. "I…I don't want to talk about it… I'm tired… I have a headache… Everything hurts…" He touched the cut on his forehead gingerly and winced. "And I bet I don't look too good either."

"You look like you got hit by a train," Brock agreed. "Fine. You can rest a little while, but you've got to tell us what happened later."

"Great." Ash began to get up, but the sharp pain in his leg made him sit down again. "Umm…maybe I'll just rest here…"

"I can help you," Brock offered.

"Thanks but no thanks, Brock…"

Combusken went closer to Ash. "Ken busken ken combus com!"

Ash knew exactly what he was talking about. "Listen, I know you feel responsible for what happened. But believe me, I had no choice."

"Combusken, busken busk!" Combusken protested.

"Oh, you might _think_ I had that other choice, but I was _not_ about to let that happen. So it's _my_ fault that my leg got cut open, that I have a headache the size of three million Steelix… It's _my_ fault I feel like I got trampled by hundreds of Tauros. It's my fault that"—Ash stopped for a second and looked around—"that they stole my hat!" He shook his head as Combusken walked away.

Ash's eyes narrowed for a second. "Um, May, have you been crying or something?"

May wiped her damp face. "Maybe a little…"

"Why?"

_Dense, dense, dense, dense. _The word repeated over and over in May's head. "Well if you found your friend on the ground, unconscious and bleeding everywhere, you'd cry too!"

Ash paused for a second, just trying to imagine how bad he really looked to someone else. "Umm…"

"Ash, you may be hurt, but your voice box is working just fine. Can you _please_ tell me what happened? Why couldn't Combusken help you? What did Team Rocket _do_ to you?"

"It wasn't what they were going to do to _me_, May." And as Ash said this, Brock began to creep back into hearing range, sensing that Ash might continue his story.

May waited for him to explain, giving him an expectant look.

Ash sighed. "Fine," he groaned. "So… It was just a few minutes after you left to get breakfast when Team Rocket came… They did their little motto thing—"

"Don't they ever get tired of that?" Max asked, not really expecting an answer.

"_Anyway… _Of course they had…had…Pikachu…with them, and they told me that they would have Pikachu attack Combusken," Ash went on slowly.

May gasped and hugged her Combusken close. It was just like yesterday when she got Torchic from Professor Birch. She had loved him to pieces ever since.

"They said that the only way to protect Combusken was to have him use an attack on Pikachu… Therefore, they essentially gave me a choice: let Pikachu get hurt or let Combusken get hurt," Ash continued, feeling more tired. "But since I didn't want either of them to get hurt, I didn't say anything. So they ordered Pikachu to use Thunder on Combusken and—"

"_Thunder!_"May squeaked.

"—and asked me who it was going to be. So…I jumped in front of Combusken right before the attack hit and said that it was going to be me," Ash explained. "So after I got hit by the Thunder attack, they hit me with Iron Tail." He indicated his long cut. "And then a Thunderbolt… When I got thrown back from that attack, I hit my head on that rock, so I don't know if they did anything else…" Ash closed his eyes, everything feeling sore. At least they weren't going to interrogate him on that matter anymore.

"_Ash," _May breathed. "Why?"

Ash's eyes snapped open. "Why? Why what?"

"Why'd you let yourself get hurt instead of Combusken?"

Ash's eyebrows creased. "I wasn't going to let Pikachu—my Pikachu—hurt _your_ Combusken, May. Pikachu is still my pokémon, and I wasn't about to just let him hurt _yours_. You love Combusken to death, and it's not like I was just going to _stand_ there and _watch_ while either Combusken or Pikachu got hurt. So I chose the best option. Let them attack the alternative target. In other words: me." He touched the cut on his forehead again. "So I saved Pikachu and Combusken pain…"

"You realize that saving _them_ pain, you intentionally caused _yourself_ pain," Brock said.

"Of course I realized that," Ash grumbled.

"But, Ash, if you had let one of the pokémon attack the other, the one getting hit wouldn't have felt even half the pain that you felt. It's the way pokémon are built. They can withstand a lot more pain than us…," Max pointed out.

"I told you, I wasn't going to let them get hurt at _all_," Ash said firmly. "So what? I…I… Pikachu _attacked_ me. It _hurt_. But I know he would have done it anyway…" He looked to the others. "I know, because I saw Pikachu's face when he attacked me… He _liked_ it, you guys."

"You must have imagined it," Brock stated. "He may have amnesia, but he will never _enjoy_ hurting _you_."

"No, Brock, you're wrong. I _know_ what I saw. He was enjoying it, I know. Maybe…… Do you think he ever wanted to attack me before he lost his memory?" Ash asked no one in particular. He drowned out the chorus of no's he knew was coming and tried to relax.

It was a few minutes before Max and Brock left to do who knows what, but Ash could still see May lingering until Brock and Max were out of sight.

She then turned her gaze to him. "Ash… I don't know what to say…" She came up to him and gave him a careful hug. "Thank you for saving Combusken!" she cried. "But…but…you're…"

"I'm fine," Ash said, a little surprised. Not one, but _two_ hugs from May today… Weird… "Besides, you need Combusken for your contest tomorrow. Yah can't win with a hurt pokémon."

"Yeah, but _you_ can't win your next gym battle with an injured _you_," May protested, pulling out of the hug.

Ash looked away from her. "I don't know, May…"

"Don't know what?"

"Um… I mean… I don't know if I want to…" Ash cleared his throat. "It's just… Ever since day one, Pikachu's been right at my side, at _every_ gym battle… And now that he isn't here… I don't know, I just don't feel like battling for a badge now."

"Come on, Ash. You know your dream is to be a pokémon master."

"So? It's not the same without Pikachu. Maybe it was a dumb 'dream' anyway. I mean, I already tried getting _somewhere_ before. The Indigo League? Nope, didn't do very well there. The Johto League? Pretty much the same thing. Why did I think the Hoenn League was going to be any different than before? Maybe I'm just not that kind of trainer… Or maybe I'm not allowed to get my dream," Ash replied. He shrugged. "Even if I did make it pretty far in training, it's next to impossible to actually get to where I wanted to…"

"Don't talk like that, Ash. Your dreams can come true if you work hard and really put your mind to it," May said, instantly wondering who this kid was and what happened to the real Ash.

"Funny. A few years ago I probably would have given that exact same advice to a person who just said what I did."

"Ash, get real. You know you're going to get there someday…"

"Right…," Ash muttered. "You know, ever since I first set out on my journey, I've been fighting for badges… Just hunks of metal or plastic or whatever. There's no _real_ value for them. Sure, you have to do a lot to _get_ them, but it's the pokémon who do it, not you. So why am I fighting for a title when if I get it, it would really belong to my pokémon?"

May was silent.

"Maybe I should just go home," Ash whispered. "It's not like Pikachu's coming back…"

"Ash!" May cried in protest. "Pikachu _is_ going to get his memory back! And you _can't_ go home, because…well…because you can't!"

"How do you know? Even Brock said there was a chance Pikachu will stay like this forever…" He gestured to his cut. "He's just going to keep doing this to me… It's not like _I_ care, because I'm not going to attack _him_, but… If he's lost every single memory… And Team Rocket is now filling his head up with false ones, to make him think that he was a member of Team Rocket, to make him think that he really belonged… Maybe if Pikachu feels he belongs there…" Ash shrugged. "I…I don't really know anymore…" He closed his eyes. "Just forget I ever said anything… I'm going to try and rest now…"

May was about to protest, but changed her mind. He just had a hard day…he wasn't thinking clearly…

She walked over to Combusken and hugged him again. "Oh, Combusken, I'm glad you're okay."

"Busk… ken busk… Combusken bus…," Combusken replied guiltily.

"It's okay, Combusken… Ash got himself hurt—you couldn't do anything to help him… This is his problem…" And even as she said it, tears shimmered in her eyes. She didn't know why…but… "He's going to be okay… Yeah…"

Combusken sensed her worry and just gave her an apologetic look.

"It's not _you_, Combusken. I'm just worried about Ash. He's been acting like a completely different person since…since what happened to Pikachu… So naturally I'm worried. But if he _ever_ tries to let Pikachu attack him again…" May looked to the fire pokémon helplessly. "But we're not going to worry about him now. What we _are_ going to worry about is that contest tomorrow…"

* * *

are you ready for more yet?


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, everyone, it's been a little while. Sorry I haven't updated so soon, but I was sick. (with a cold) Mom wouldn't let me on the internet, which apparently means no updates. Also, now I have a ton of homework to catch up on. TT

Thank you, reviewers. Give yourself a pat on the back!

Or you could read instead.

I don't own Pokemon...if you hadn't noticed.

Speaking of, I remember when i was writing this, my brother came into my room and said, "What are you writing now?" I said, "Pokemon fan fiction." He replied, "OH GOD, WHO ARE YOU TORTURING THIS TIME!" I smiled and said, "Ash Ketchum. He's my favorite!"

Okay, let's go.

* * *

"Have you ever seen Ash like this?" Max asked Brock. Brock had gone to a nearby store to buy extra bandages for Ash, and Max had readily agreed to accompany him.

Brock cocked an eyebrow. "Well…" he drew the word out. "Not like _this_… But I mean, he is just missing Pikachu… We just have to wait until Pikachu gets his memory back, and then everything will be A-okay, and Ash will be just jumping to Mossdeep City."

"Yeah, but…but what if Pikachu…never gets his memory back?"

Brock paused for a long time. "Honestly, Max… I don't know… We've just got to hope for the best…"

Max shook his head. "I can't believe Ash actually tried to take Pikachu's Thunder, Iron Tail, and Thunderbolt."

Brock chuckled. "Ash is like that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Max queried. "Has he done anything like this?"

"Well…, there was that one time when Ash's Bulbasaur was about to evolve, so he traveled to the Mysterious Garden—where all Bulbasaur gather to evolve together. So Ash, Misty, and I went after him, and when we got there, there was a ton of Bulbasaur, and a Venasaur."

"So what happened?"

"When the Bulbasaur started to evolve, it seemed that Ash's didn't want to. So by the time the others had evolved into Ivysaur, Bulbasaur had pretty much stopped his evolution." Brock paused, bringing up the old memory. "The Venasaur didn't like that, and it used its Vine Whip and was about to hit Bulbasaur."

Max almost gasped. "Did Bulbasaur get hurt?"

Brock shook his head. "No, because once Ash saw that, he ran forward and intercepted the attack, earning two huge bruises on each shoulder."

Max winced.

"And there was that time when we accidentally got captured along with Zapdos… And since there were…like these shield things around Zapdos and Moltres, we—me, Ash, Misty, Melody, and Team Rocket—had to break 'em out."

Max nodded. He had heard this story… But he didn't remember being told anything about this particular part.

"So…yeah… And Ash ran right into the shield thing, trying to get it open. I'm thinking it hurt like hell, but if it did, Ash didn't show it. He never does."

Max sighed as he and Brock left the store.

They were silent most of the trip back, each of them preoccupied by their own thoughts.

* * *

"Come on, Ash, let me help you," Brock said, almost getting annoyed.

"I _told_ you, I don't _need_ help. I can do it by myself!" Ash retorted.

Brock folded his arms across his chest and glared slightly at Ash. "Will you quit being so stubborn and just let someone help you? Is that too much to ask?"

Ash just glared right back at him, struggling to his feet. When he finally got to the standing position, he stood on the one leg that hadn't been injured. Sure, that one was really sore and couldn't do much anyway, but it was about ten times better than what the other could do at the moment. He wobbled a little, but regained his balance. "See? I _can_ do it myself. I don't want you wasting your time by helping _me_."

Brock gave him a look. "Well, if you're so _independent_, then I'd like to see you get into the tent, _all by yourself_."

"Brock, don't make him do that…," May protested.

Ash shook his head. "I'm doing it. Just to show you that I _can_…"

"Well, go ahead, champ," Brock muttered. He knew very well that there was a high chance that Ash wouldn't make it all the way to the tent, and that was the whole point. Ash needed to learn that sometimes he _needed_ help. Like if he was injured. Like now.

Ash set his face with a determined expression, lightly putting down his left foot. He put just a teeny bit of his weight on it, not expecting what came next. Pain seared through his leg from the cut and from the plain old soreness of it. He inhaled quickly and closed his eyes for a second, drawing glances from his other three friends.

After a little thinking, Ash put more weight on the injured leg and then removed it and set his weight back on his right leg again, bringing more pain, but not as much as the other leg. He continued limping like that until he was a mere two steps from the tent. It was like a constant beat, he thought. Right leg down, pain. Left leg down, even more pain. And the rhythm repeated over and over and over again. He could feel three pairs of eyes boring into him from behind, and with that in his head, he was more determined than ever to make it inside the tent.

He was going to show them that they didn't need to worry about him. He was going to show them that they didn't need to bother with him. It was pointless.

So Ash trudged those last two steps, stepping inside the tent and falling in a painful heap on his sleeping bag.

"Ash? You okay in there?" asked Brock from outside, hearing a thump coming from inside the tent.

"I'm _fine_," Ash grunted back. "Just getting comfortable." And with that, he opened up his sleeping bag and snuggled inside, careful not to hurt himself doing so. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, but couldn't escape the wave of nightmares that soon came.

Ash picked at his breakfast the next morning absentmindedly. He had been plagued with nightmares all night long, so he hadn't gotten much sleep. But ever since Pikachu left, when _had_ he really gotten a peaceful sleep?

* * *

When he woke up, he had carefully made his way to the separate part of the tent to change. The others were still asleep, to Ash's delight. He didn't want to hear Brock's 'you-need-help-because-you're-hurt' lecture again.

But now everyone was up, Brock had already made breakfast, and they were all eating. Or in Ash's case, just watching his food. He did notice that May looked kind of nervous, but the apparent reason for that was because of the contest that was that day. In just a few hours, she would be stepping on that stage and trying to win her third ribbon.

Ash could relate. Although he never really shows it, he is always completely nervous the day he goes to a gym to challenge the leader.

"So, Ash, are you just going to stare at your breakfast or actually eat it?" Max asked sarcastically.

Ash glanced at the younger boy. "Actually, I'm not that hungry." And he gave the plate back to Brock. "No offense, Brock. I'm sure it's delicious… But I'm just not hungry."

May stood up suddenly. "Hey, you guys, shouldn't we be going into town now? I want to go to the pokémon center and maybe practice a little more…check out the competition…"

"Yeah, that's a good idea," agreed Brock. "All of our pokémon could use a little rest."

May smiled and began walking, Max following closely behind her. "So let's get going!"

Brock hurried to catch up. "Wait for me!" And the trio began to walk to town, like Ash dropped off the face of the planet.

_Well, I can understand that. May's just excited about her contest. Brock's just excited about seeing Nurse Joy at the pokémon center. And Max is excited because everyone else is,_ Ash thought. _Don't worry, I'm coming… I'll catch up…eventually…,_ he called out mentally to the others, once again feeling the pain in his leg when he got up.

Ash was about halfway to the pokémon center when he saw the others walk inside it. Tired, Ash sat down on a nearby bench, his leg almost screaming in relief.

_At least I made it this far,_ Ash thought, looking down to the injured leg. _And it's not like I'm going to let the others think I'm too weak to walk._

He then just saw a green-haired boy walk past him, hands deep in his pockets, almost not paying attention.

Ash recognized the boy in an instant. "Hey, Drew," he greeted. Of course he knew Drew. May's rival. The teenager looked to Ash with a bored expression. "Oh. You're May's friend, right? Almost didn't recognize you without your hat. Guess you finally realized it made you look more like a loser than you already do."

Ash almost rolled his eyes. This coming from a _coordinator._ He knew he could kick Drew's ass any day of the week. "So you're entering the Lilycove contest, right?"

"Of course. I plan on winning my fifth ribbon here. It should be easy, especially if _May_ is going to be there." Drew paused, looking around. "So where's your Pikachu? You know, that one time when we battled, I would've really liked to battle _that_ pokémon other than your weak Taillow. At least Pikachu looked a little tougher."

"Pikachu…isn't…here…," Ash bit out. "And my Taillow was never weak."

"If it was that _strong_, it would have evolved."

"As a matter of fact, he did."

Drew stifled a snort. "He probably did it out of pity."

Ash folded his arms across his chest. "You really shouldn't call any of my pokémon 'weak'. They get stronger all the time, and any one of them could beat you."

Drew raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked sarcastically. "Then… I challenge you to a battle. Using only one pokémon only, no substitutions… That should be good practice for the contest later today…"

"We don't have a judge," Ash pointed out.

"We don't need one. We both know the rules for battling. And if one of us cheats, it would just be a sign of weakness." Drew smirked. "And I do know a good place to battle. It's not too far from here. Very secluded."

"Okay then, I accept your challenge." And Ash brought out his pokéballs, trying to decide what pokémon to use. _Hmm, Torkoal and Swellow are out. That would make it much too easy… Grovyle…maybe… Corphish? Hmm…_ He looked to Drew. "So, Drew. Do you want me to use a pokémon that could easily beat yours or not?"

Drew was caught off guard. "Umm…"

Ash dismissed his question. "Fine, I'll just use one that has no advantage over yours…" He got to his feet quickly, determined not to let Drew see him limp. "Lead the way."

And Drew did just that. He led them both to a nice, secluded meadow, just the right size for a pokémon battle.

The two teenage boys took their positions and grabbed a pokéball.

"Go, Roselia!" Drew said, throwing his pokéball and letting out his grass-type pokémon, Roselia.

"Grovyle, I choose you!" Ash said, throwing his own pokéball.

Drew smirked from across the meadow. "Ready to be beaten to a pulp?"

"I think you should be asking yourself that," Ash replied calmly, and Grovyle assumed a ready stance. He felt slight déjà vu, battling Drew again.

Drew used his finger to flip his bangs out of his face, closing his eyes for a second and calling out, "Magical Leaf, Roselia!"

"Rosa…lee!" Roselia exclaimed, shooting shots out of her red flower.

"Dodge it!" Ash said.

Grovyle smirked at Roselia, as if asking how she thought she was going to win, and then easily sprang aside.

"Quick Attack, Grovyle!" Ash called out, and Grovyle hurried to comply.

* * *

"I wonder where Ash is," May said, finally realizing that Ash was no longer with them…

"Ash?" asked Nurse Joy from behind her desk. "As in Ash Ketchum? I have a package for him." And she handed over a cardboard box to Brock.

"It has no return address," Brock muttered.

"Well, I'm going to see if I can find Ash," May said. "You two stay with the pokémon, okay?"

Brock and Max nodded, and May left.

Walking back to camp, May felt a little worried about Ash. She had almost forgotten that he was injured… How did she and the others _think_ he was going to make it all the way to the pokémon center by himself?

But knowing Ash, he would have tried anyway.

Being about halfway between the pokémon center and where May and the others had set up camp, May heard something in the distance. "Rosa…!" Even though it was far away, May knew it like the back of her hand, instantly knowing what it was. A Roselia. More specifically, _Drew's _Roselia.

She trotted toward the sound, peeking through the bushes and spotting an all-too-familiar scene. She had seen something like it once before, right before her second contest.

She could see Drew…and Ash. They were battling. Seeing Ash, calling out orders to his Grovyle, almost made May think that he was back to normal. Not wanting to interrupt their battle, May watched quietly from the bushes.

"Petal Dance, Roselia," Drew said, as if he were merely asking someone to pass the butter instead of calling out an attack. And before Grovyle could do anything, the attack hit, throwing the grass pokémon back.

Drew smirked. "Well, even if our pokémon are evenly matched type-wise, I guess I'm still a better trainer than you," he commented. "Finish it up with Solar Beam."

Roselia raised both of her flowers to the sky, taking in the sunlight and preparing for a powerful attack.

Ash clenched his fists. There was _no way _he was going to let this…this _jerk_ beat him. Grovyle wasn't moving, just crouched down in a concentrated stance. After getting hit with Roselia's Stun Spore, the pokémon found it harder to move.

"ROSELIIIA!" Roselia was finally ready for her Solar Beam and let Grovyle have it.

It was a direct hit, pounding Grovyle into the ground. Grovyle groaned, nearly out of energy.

Drew's smirk was still in place when he said, "I guess you're weak, just like your friend, May."

Ash clenched his fists harder. "I may be weak, but May is a way better coordinator than _you_!" And he looked to Grovyle. "Grovyle, please get up. Do it for me, for May… For…for…Pikachu…"

"GRO!" Grovyle mustered up his strength and jumped up, glowing green.

"Overgrow," Ash breathed. Grovyle had only used overgrow once before, but now he was doing it again, adding a boost to his Grass-type attacks. "Okay, Grovyle, it's time for _you_ to use Solar Beam."

Grovyle looked to him curiously. He didn't know this move…

"Just try," Ash encouraged.

"Gro, grovyle!" And Grovyle began to concentrate.

Drew chuckled. "Trying to use a move your pokémon doesn't even _know_? That's terrible. But I _am_ impressed with the overgrow. You and May are still weak though…"

"Come on, Grovyle, show Drew that _you_ aren't weak. And show him that we're right about May—she _is_ a better coordinator than _him_."

Grovyle looked to him again, as if to ask, 'can I show him that _you_ aren't weak as well?'

"I am weak," Ash whispered to Grovyle. "But you don't have to be…"

"Vyle!" And suddenly, Ash could see golden rays of sunlight going into Grovyle.

Drew's eyebrows shot up as he realized that Grovyle was really going to use Solar Beam. "Use Magical Leaf to block the Solar Beam that's coming, Roselia!"

"GROVYLE GRO GROVYLE!" And a beam of light shot out of Grovyle, heading straight for Roselia, whose Magical Leaf attack was about to run into Grovyle's Solar Beam…

But with a powerful attack like Solar Beam, combined with Grovyle's overgrow ability, the beam of light completely fried Roselia's Magical Leaf and hit her head on, knocking her to the ground.

"Roselia!" Drew cried, picking up the fainted pokémon. To Ash, he said, "She can't go on…" And he returned her to the pokéball. "Well… I better get going to the pokémon center…" With that, he left without any other words.

Once Drew was out of sight, Ash let himself fall into the grass, saying, "My leg is killing me…" He then looked up at Grovyle. "Good job, pal. I bet if May was here, she'd be proud of you for beating Drew… And I'm really glad you learned Solar Beam… You deserve a long rest…" Ash pulled out Grovyle's pokéball and returned Grovyle for a rest.

May, still behind the bushes, was surprised and a little confused. Ash beat Drew, Grovyle learned _Solar Beam_, and…and… _He stood up for me,_ May thought. _When Drew called me weak, Ash showed him exactly what he thought…_ She looked back to the exhausted Ash. _But he told Grovyle that… He called himself weak… I don't get it. Ash won the battle, so how could he be weak? Unless…unless he didn't mean physically or being a weak trainer…but maybe mentally? I don't know…_

Ash looked up to the cloudless sky, telling himself that he would just rest for a little while before trying to catch up with the others. They should still be at the pokémon center, and they probably haven't even noticed that he was not with them.

…_Or not…_, Ash thought, a head coming into his line of sight.

"Ash?" May asked. "Come on, we've got to meet back up with the others…"

Ash got up, ignoring the hand May offered. "Umm…" His mind scrambled for an excuse for being out in the middle of nowhere. "Yeah…let's get going." And he began to walk as best he could in the direction of the pokémon center.

May walked beside him. "Oh, a package arrived at the pokémon center for you, Ash."

Ash looked at her, arching an eyebrow. "From who?"

May shrugged. "There wasn't a return address on it, and we weren't about to open something that was yours so… We don't know." She changed the subject. "So……do you think Drew will be at this next contest…?" She already knew the answer, of course, but wanted to see what Ash would say.

"Uh, I don't know, May. He could be… But on the other hand, he might not." And if May hadn't seen Drew battling Ash, she might've actually believed that.

"Just wondering, because the contest starts in an hour…" And when Ash didn't say anything, May found them stuck in a cloud of silence, only interrupted by the slight grunts Ash made if he pulled a wrong muscle or something. May watched him limp from the corner of her eye, still worried about him.

When they reached the pokémon center, they saw Max and Brock sitting on a couch, and Brock had a small cardboard box in his lap. The two looked up to them.

"May! Ash! You're back!" Max exclaimed.

"I don't know when I was ever here, but whatever," Ash replied flatly. He went up to Nurse Joy's desk to rest his own pokémon, especially Grovyle.

"Where has _he_ been?" Brock asked May.

May paused for a long while and lowered her voice. "I saw him battling with—"

She cut herself off as Ash walked back to them, standing in between May and Brock, about to say something, but Brock beat him to it.

"So, Ash, May tells me that…" Brock's voice trailed off as he saw May making fierce movements across her neck behind Ash's back, apparently telling Brock to cut it out. "That you should really open this package!" And he thrust the package in Ash's arms.

Ash gave him a slight questioning look before walking over to the other couch.

May stifled a sigh in relief. "I'll tell you guys later, okay? And good recovery, Brock." She looked back over to Ash, who had the box open in his lap. He cocked his head to one side, gazing at the contents. He then got up and threw the box in the trash.

May, curious, went to sit on the other couch that Ash had returned to, asking, "So…what was in the box?"

Ash half snorted. "First off, the box was from Team Rocket, and they were trying… Well, I don't know exactly what they were trying to do, but the box was full of shreds. They literally tore my hat to shreds."

"You can always get a new one…"

Ash shook his head. "I don't need it anymore anyway…" He turned away, looking at the clock. "We should get going to the contest arena…"

May glanced up at the clock and jumped up. "Yeah! It'll take us like fifteen minutes to get there… I've already registered… It's starting in forty minutes…" And she grabbed Brock and Max and headed out, grabbing their pokéballs on the way out.

* * *

Enter: Drew. YAY!

I just hated when Drew beat Ash that one time, soooooooo...voila. I like Drew though. He's pretty cool...

But anyway...

Are you ready...for some...FOOTBALL!

No, i meant...are you ready for more? Or would you rather I stop before this story gets serious?


	5. Chapter 5

I'm back, everyone!

_(crickets chirping)_

_(Me: slumps)_

_-SILENCE-..._

Well, I got one review!

YAY? gets a lot of cookies and such!

Okay, I don't own Pokemon. So just read and be content with it, okay?

Most of this chappie is on the contest, and I can't say that i'm really great at writing it, so it's like a skim over... (...)_

* * *

Ten minutes till show time, May thought, in the back room with all the other coordinators, sitting on a bench and fingering Combusken's pokéball._

"Hello, May," said a slight monotone voice, and May turned to see Drew looking down at her.

"Hey, Drew," she greeted back. She looked him up and down. "So, how's your Roselia doing? She sure got one hell of a knock out of Grovyle's Solar Beam."

Drew scowled. "So your little boyfriend told you about his big victory today, did he?"

"No, I _saw_ it," May replied. "And Ash _isn't_ my boyfriend!"

Drew flipped his bangs. "To answer your question, Roselia's fine. And don't try to deny it, I know you like… What's his name again? Cinders?"

"His name is _Ash_, and he's just my friend!" And under her breath, she added something Drew didn't catch.

Drew raised his eyebrows. "So you and Cinders aren't together? Huh, I never would've expected that…" And his eyes went distant.

"Anyway, _Drew_, I heard you calling me 'weak' out there."

Drew made an offhand motion. "Oh, _that_. I just said that to make Cinders work harder, because I thought that you guys were—you know, together. I guess it kind of worked… But honestly, May, I don't think you're _weak_. If you were weak, than how did you win those two ribbons?"

"Well, Skitty and Beautifly were really good, it was pretty much luck…"

Drew snorted. "Don't give me that crap. It was you and you know it. Last contest, well…… I'm thinking you got overwhelmed by those ladies who kept calling you a 'pokémon prodigy'." He snorted a laugh out. "But you know what? I _didn't_ lie when I said that I thought Cinders was weak. I've heard of him. Indigo League, Johto League… He didn't get anywhere." He rolled his eyes. "I bet if I wanted to win any of those leagues, I could have easily."

"Hmph," May grunted, annoyed. "What am I to say to that? Training is just what Ash _does_. He works hard at it…"

"Yeah…whatever. And what? Did he lose his Pikachu or something? I wouldn't be surprised… I mean, if I understand correctly, Pikachu is Cinders's most powerful pokémon." Drew sniffed. "Well, if he was so _powerful_, Cinders would have evolved him already."

"Don't you _dare_ talk about Pikachu, especially not to Ash!" May hissed, glaring at him. "And from what _I_ understand, Pikachu _chose_ not to evolve!"

"Why? Because then he'd be too big to ride on Cinders's shoulder?" Drew questioned sarcastically. He shrugged. "Oh well, you know what they say. Once worthless, always worthless."

"Ash is _NOT_ worthless!"

"Jeez, May, for someone who claims not to have feelings for Cinders, you sure like to stand up for him a lot."

"He—is—just—a—_friend!"_ May spat. "And I wouldn't _have_ to defend him if you'd stop saying bad stuff about him to _me_, instead of _him_."

"Oh, that's sure nice to say. I'll remember that next time I see our little Cinders."

"And now that Eric is done, we're proud to say that Drew is next. Coordinator Number Two, please come onto stage one!" May and Drew heard the voice from the back room and Drew threw May a fleeting glance before heading out on stage. "See you later, May."

* * *

Ash, Max and Brock were in the audience when they saw Drew come on the stage and let out Roselia. 

"Okay, Roselia, let's show them your Magical Leaf!"

"Rosa," Roselia said, letting out her Magical Leaf, making it look like something extremely beautiful.

"And now add your concentrated Petal Dance," Drew commanded.

Roselia spun around and let out a ton of pretty petals, all of them bunched together. The earlier Magical

Leaf hit the Petal Dance full force and the lump of petals blew into a wonderful rain of petals, making the crowd ooh and ah.

"A wonderful display by Drew," the announcer said, and she turned to the judges. "Let's see what the judges have to say!"

In total, Drew's score was twenty-seven point five.

Ash saw Drew nod to himself and leave the stage. Next was May.

"Let's go, May!" Max shouted from his seat, doing his little brother support routine.

"Combusken, come on out and take the stage!" she said, throwing the pokéball. "And use Fire Spin!"

"Combusken!" Combusken said, flames coming out of his mouth as he preformed his Fire Spin attack.

"And now use Sky Uppercut!"

The claws on Combusken's right hand began to glow and he brought his hand around right at the Fire Spin and the fire exploded into little sparks, causing a firework effect.

May's score was twenty-six point five.

"She's got to go onto the next round," Max whispered to Brock and Ash. "She got a pretty good score…"

"I'm sure she will," Ash said quietly. He was used to going to May's contests, of course, but Pikachu was always there with him, sitting in his lap, cheering his lungs out. Ash swore that if he saw Pikachu again, he would not stop until Pikachu remembered _everything_.

"Let's see which four trainers are going on to the next round, shall we?" And the announcer—along with the whole audience—looked at the big screen to see the answer to all of their questions.

"Eric and his Surskit! Drew and his Roselia! Emily and her Skarmory! May and her Combusken! Congratulations, you've made it to the second round! We are now randomly picking your opponents for the next round…," the announcer exclaimed. She waited for a few seconds and then spoke up again. "Eric verses Drew and Emily verses May! Eric and Drew, please come to Stage One for battle number one!"

"Man, that Emily person looks like she knows what she's doing," Max hissed. "I wonder if May's going to make it to the final round… That Skarmory looks real tough…"

May watched Drew's battle on the TV in the back room. Drew, since he had the evolved form of Surskit, knew exactly how to defeat his opponent's. He won easily… Returning to the back room, Drew came up to her, a 'that-was-too-easy' look on his face.

"Good luck, May," Drew told her calmly, handing her a rose that was a deep red color.

May's face turned almost the exact same color of the rose, and she wondered if Drew knew that she absolutely _loved_ roses. She kept the rose in her hand the whole battle that she fought. The Skarmory was super-powerful, and May thought it was just pure luck when Combusken pulled off a narrow win.

* * *

"Drew against May," Ash breathed, observing the two coordinators facing each other, their pokémon doing the same. "This should be interesting." When he looked closer at May, he saw a rose clutched in her left hand, and he instantly knew who it was from. Drew, he knew… Ash looked over to Brock, who was smirking at the sight of the rose. 

"What is it?" Ash asked him.

"Neither of them know it, but May and Drew are truly _meant_ for each other," Brock replied sneakily. "They should be realizing it soon. I think Drew already has…"

"What! My sister, and that…that…that…that…," Max stuttered. He shook his head violently. "No way. You are totally _wrong_, Brock."

"Whatever you say, Max…," Brock replied, the smirk still fixed on his face, but he turned back to the battle, where both pokémon already seemed to be pretty tired, and both Drew and May had about the same amount of points…which wasn't much. There was a minute left. One of them was going to fall soon…

* * *

_I've got the advantage. Fire beats Grass. I beat you,_ May thought. "Combusken, Flamethrower!" A huge shot of fire shot toward Roselia. 

"Dodge it Roselia!" Drew ordered, and his pokémon jumped up elegantly.

"Now add Fire Spin to give more power to your Flamethrower!" May called out.

Combusken did as he was told and a huge flame leapt from his mouth and hit Roselia head on, driving her back and slamming her into the wall.

"Roselia!" Drew cried, going over to her.

Three red X's lit up on the little screens under the judges, indicating that Roselia was unable to battle.

"May is the winner!" the announcer cried, and Drew returned Roselia to her pokéball, whispering something to her…

"ALL RIGHT!" Max cheered, hopping to his feet. "Great job, May!"

As for May, she was hugging Combusken hard.

"You were awesome, May!" Max exclaimed as May met up with them just outside the contest arena. "Now you've got three ribbons!"

"Yeah, you were great," Ash added. "Another step closer to getting into the Grand Festival…"

"And I think I'm actually going with Cinders on this one, May," Drew said, coming up from behind them. "That was a good win. Type advantage, yes…"

"Well, thanks, Drew," May replied with a smile. "I'll see you at the next contest, okay?"

"Of course, May." And he walked off, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Ash stared after Drew for a second before something hit him. "Did he just call me _Cinders?_! That's not even close to Ash! Right, Pika—" he cut himself off, remembering Pikachu wasn't there again… Ash ignored the looks that the others shot him, and he limped a little ahead of them. "Cinders…peh…dumb ass…," he muttered under his breath.

"I say we go to that really good restaurant nearby and celebrate!" Max said happily, leading the way. "May, you were so great! And Combusken was really cool! I can't wait until I get my own pokémon…"

May and Brock smiled, trailing about a half a step behind Max, and Ash was just trailing more than ten steps behind the rest of them, hands deep in his pockets, looking down to the ground and trying not to limp.

"Oh, I am _starving!_" May cried after a few long minutes in silence. "I was so nervous before the contest… It really worked up my appetite!" She looked back to Ash, who had eaten very little at lunch, and not at all at breakfast. "How 'bout you, Ash?"

Ash cocked his head to one side, thinking. He knew he didn't feel like eating, but if he said that, he knew the others would… "Oh, yeah… Starving…"

May beamed to the others. "See? I told you he'd start complaining about his stomach!"

* * *

Once they were in the restaurant, they ordered their food and sat down. 

"Ash, you said you were starving," May said grumpily, seating herself next to Max on one side of the table.

Ash sat across from her, next to Brock. "Yeah…?"

"Number one, you ordered from the _kids'_ menu. Max doesn't even do that anymore! Number two, you must have ordered the smallest thing there!"

Ash shrugged. "That's what's so great about the human body. It doesn't take that much food to keep it operating."

May folded her hands across her chest. "Ash, you've barely eaten today. You need to eat _something_. What's wrong with you, anyway?"

Ash gave her a 'you-already-know' look. "Come _on_, May…"

"Well it doesn't mean you have to eat or act this way just because of _that_."

"'_Just because of that?_'" Ash repeated.

"Why are you acting like this anyway? I doubt it all has to do with Pikachu!"

"Don't go there, May. Don't go there or you'll regret it," Ash warned, his voice surprisingly dark. And that's the last thing he said during supper.

That night, Ash once again found himself in his sleeping bag. He hadn't even talked when Brock or the others tried to get through to him. He was angry at May. _She just thinks she can pry her way into my brain, huh? Thinks she can tell me how to act?_

He sighed and felt his anger leaving him. He couldn't stay angry now, especially at someone who had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. Ash closed his eyes, falling asleep, dreaming of old but still fresh memories.

* * *

_Ash fell into the bottom of the boat, his sore lungs breathing in fresh, wonderful air. "I'm alive!" He looked in his hand. "…Thanks to a Pikachu lure?"_

"_I can't stand you, Ash Ketchum!" May shouted._

"_Gee, I'm heartbroken!"_

"_Pikapi!"_

"_Slakoth aren't that rare!" May stated._

"_Neither is ice cream!" Max argued back._

"_You're motivated to attack me?" Ash asked, feeling a little hurt._

"_What he learned is what's important, Ash, not what the target was," May replied with a smile, looking to Treecko._

"_Oh yeah? Well when the target's your head, it is important…"_

_Misty smiled at Sarah. "You may not believe it, but Ash has been known to really come through in times like these, so—"_

"…_Why wouldn't she believe it?" Ash asked, cutting her off._

"_Pikachu, no!" Ash cried out._

"_Pikapi!"_

"_My sisters are so generous—they like to give me all the work!" Misty exclaimed, giving Ash a meaningful look._

"_Wow, that magic power is great!" Ash exclaimed, watching Swablu fly with the help of Max's "magic powder". Ash jumped under Beautifly. "Okay, Pikachu, we're up next!"_

"_Pi, pika!"_

"_Uhh…," Brock, May, and Max drew the word out in unison._

"_The magic powder's fake, Ash…," Max said._

"_No way, it looked like it was totally real…," Ash replied in disappointment._

"_Totally real all purpose flour," Max explained._

_Pikachu blushed. "Pi…pika…" Looking up to Ash, he shook his head._

_A huge flash of red enveloped Ash, taking him away from the real memories and dropping him into a nightmare… A horrible, dark place, where all you can see is your own blood…_

"_Pikapi…," Pikachu said, coming out of the shadows, perched on top of James's shoulder._

"_Yah know what Pikachu says all the time?" Meowth asked, coming out from behind Ash. "He does remember you. He hated fightin' for yah. He's sick of losin' all those leagues. He's only pretended tah have amnesia to get away from you. He with us now—"_

"—_for always and forever," James finished._

"_Go to hell! Just go to hell! I know you're lying so just give me Pikachu back!" Ash yelled. "I'm never going to let you hurt him, and I'm never going to ever let you hurt anyone! Ever!"_

"_You won't stop us you know. We're…well, we're unstoppable!" Jessie exclaimed, also coming from the shadows and smirking._

_Just then, Ash fell back, bombarded by happy memories of Pikachu. "NO! GIVE HIM BACK!" he shouted._

"_What was that? Give him to the boss? Well, I heard the boss was awfully abusive, but… Okay, why not?" And Ash could spot James giving Pikachu over to someone in the shadows._

_Ash ran as fast as he could to where Pikachu disappeared and found…nothing. He glared at James forcefully. "You son of a bitch!"_

_Jessie, James and Meowth retreated back into the shadows, leaving Ash alone, horribly alone…_

_Ash fell to his knees, covering his ears, but it didn't block out the bloodcurdling scream that could only belong to Pikachu.

* * *

_

Ash shot up, breathing heavily. "No…," he breathed. He wiped the sweat of his brow, getting out of the tent to get some fresh air.

He walked out a ways, making his way to a soft grassy area that was pretty far away from the tent. He sat himself down, hugging his knees to his chest and looking up at the stars. Usually the stars would give him hope, made him feel like he could take on all the gym leaders in the world with just Pikachu by his side. But now it just made him feel sad.

_Pikachu's gone. Never coming back. Alone. Never again. Gone._

Tears began to stream down his face. This time he didn't even try to stop them. Who knew, maybe they'd make him feel better.

It was just a few minutes, his head buried in his arms, hot tears still falling, when he felt a hand touch his shoulder…

* * *

_What was that_? May asked herself, blinking her eyes tiredly. She thought she had heard something… But then again, she could have imagined it. She looked around and noticed that Ash's sleeping bag was empty. _Where…? I better go see where he went… I hope he's okay…_ She carefully got out of her own sleeping bag and quietly left the tent, trying not to disturb Max and Brock, who were sleeping—or in Brock's case, sleeping and _snoring_—peacefully. 

Once outside, May saw a dark figure in the distance, and she assumed it was Ash. So she walked up to him, the grass feeling cold and soft beneath her bare feet. She walked right up to the hunched figure and gently placed her hand on his shoulder…

"Misty?" the person asked, and it was clear that this person was Ash, and that he had been…crying?

"…It's May…" May sat down next to Ash. "Are you crying, Ash?"

Ash only replied with a small sniff.

"Ash, Pikachu is going to be _alright_. You don't have to worry… He'll come back…"

Ash brought his tear-filled eyes to meet hers. "I—I'm not sure about—about that…"

May looked at him sympathetically. She had never seen him _cry_ before… But she would cry too if she lost…lost Combusken… And Pikachu was much closer to Ash than Combusken is to her… "He _will_, Ash, he _will_. You've got to keep faith!"

"I don't have any left," Ash grumbled. "It's just been so long… Team Rocket probably made it nearly impossible to get the real Pikachu back."

"Just because something is nearly impossible never stopped you from trying before," May replied.

"Yeah, but Pikachu was always with me," Ash pointed out.

"Ash, if you're going to get Pikachu back, you've got to learn how to work without him."

"What?"

"You have to work without him to get him back," May explained carefully.

"So you want me to strike out solo to get Pikachu back…?" Ash inquired.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm trying to say! And when you get him back, you'll be a duo again. An unstoppable duo."

Ash thought about it. _Solo. Go solo. Yeah, I guess so. There really isn't anything else that I can do. Perfect… I'll just set out solo, and devote my time to getting Pikachu back. And believe me, if it means looking through every one of Team Rocket's bases just to find him, I'll do it…_ "Yeah, you're right…" He shifted so that he was facing away from her. "I'm sorry for…_crying…_"

"It's okay…"

"No, it's not… I've got to be—be strong for Pikachu…" Ash sighed. "Strike out on my own," he whispered to himself. He looked at the dark form that was May. "I'm…going to go to bed now, Misty…" He then realized his own mistake. "I mean May!" He looked down. "Sorry…"

May raised an eyebrow. Twice now he had thought she was Misty. _Thought or wished?_ asked a voice inside her mind. She inwardly shook her head. _Of course he didn't wish I was Misty. He's just tired, and it was just a mistake._ "That's okay, Ash…" And the two teenagers got up and went back to the tent, slipping into their sleeping bags and went to sleep.

* * *

You know, as i think i mentioned in the first chappie, there's only some MayxAsh fluff in the first few chapters. Unfortunatly for Advanceshippy fans, I'm a hardcore Contestshippy fan. (EEK, please don't hurt me!) So there'll probably be moreof that. You never know (I know, of course) AND, by the way, as you might have noticed...i'm into Pokeshipping. (Also unfortunate for Advanceshipping fans...)

Please...review?

(PS - I hope I got all the 'shippy' things straight. This IS only the first Pokemon fic i've put up here (The second i've ever written))


	6. Chapter 6

So here is the long awaited 6th chapter. I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner, but i guess i got a little down at the lack of reviews. But Triple question marks (aka - ?) got me back into action! YES. I'm really glad you like the story???, and don't worry, i'm not stopping until it's finished. as you may remember, i already have the whole thing finished, and, dare i say it...i'm stillworking on the sequel...

And as for more XD angst fics, once ? suggested that i write another one, I had a little idea for one...hmmmmmm, i'll have to look into it,but if i decide to write one, i'll put it here for sure. And thanks for saying I was good at writing angst fics. They'rethe best!

Ah, i hope everyone. (everyone?) likes this chapter. If i'm not too busy with school, and if at least one person reviews...You will be rewarded with another chapter of Vanish! _(...chirp,chirp, chirp, chirp...)_

...Let's read on then, shall we? (I don't own Pokemon, I don't own Pokemon, but if I did...hehehehehe)

* * *

The next morning, Ash let out his pokémon and gathered them all in a huddle, trying to make sure May and the others wouldn't overhear.

"Okay, you guys. Tomorrow…tomorrow morning, we're leaving… We're leaving without the others."

There was a wave of questioning comments directed to him, the pokémon wondering _why_.

"Because, you guys, I'm sick of just sitting around while Pikachu gets brainwashed. I'm going to get him back if it's the last thing I do. Now if you don't want to go, that's okay……"

"Gro grovyle!" Grovyle came up to Ash, apparently saying something like 'I'm with yah'.

"Koal, torkoal!" Torkoal added, nodding his head and joining Grovyle next to Ash.

"Swellow swell!"

"Phish corphish!"

Ash smiled slightly. "I knew I could count on you guys. We'll do it together, and we _will_ make it…" He looked over to the others. "I really hope they don't mind… But in case they do, we're leaving early and leaving a note. There's no way they can stop me from getting back Pikachu… And there's no way they're coming with me. I don't want them hurt… And since we can't battle Pikachu, it's a fair bet someone's going to get hurt." He smiled bitterly to the others. "Don't try and play hero. If I jump in front of you to take an attack, it's for your own good…"

"Swell swell swell swellow swe swellow," Swellow commented dryly to the others.

Ash left his pokémon, giving them a 'thanks' before walking over to where the others were eating breakfast. He sat himself down and helped himself to a plate of pancakes.

"Well, Ash, it looks like you're walking better. How's your leg feeling?" Brock asked in that concerned-older-brother voice.

"It feels a lot better," Ash replied. "As I said before, Pikachu's Iron Tail only grazed me, so the cut wasn't so bad. What was bad was the _size_ of the thing." He stuffed a big piece of pancake in his mouth. He gave a thumbs-up to Brock, indicating that the pancakes were topnotch.

"And it seems that you finally realized that your stomach does exist," Max stated as Ash ate another bite. "But at this rate, you're going to get sick…"

"So…," May began casually. "Where are we going next?"

"I thought we were going to Mossdeep Island…," Max started, but began to catch May's drift, and he looked straight at Ash.

"What?" he asked. "I don't know why _you_ guys want to go there, but I sure don't need to."

"Ash, come _on_," May spat. "Remember? Gym battle? Seventh badge? Closer to the Hoenn League?"

"Yeah, just because Pikachu's gone doesn't mean you still can't go for it. He's only a regular pokémon, I'm sure one of your others could replace him." Once the words left Max's mouth, he knew he said something wrong.

Ash's eyes flashed dangerously, but he didn't say anything to the youngest member of their little journey parade. _He's only a regular pokémon, I'm sure one of your others could replace him… He's only a regular pokémon, I'm sure one of your others could replace him… _The words repeated over and over and over in Ash's mind. _Replace? Why that little—_

"I meant in battle, not in—" Max tried, but May cut him off with a sharp jab with her elbow.

Ash's eyebrows creased in anger. _If only looks could kill…_

Max looked to Ash fearfully. He didn't really mean to say what he said, but it had just come out. Max had never seen Ash look this…this _angry_ in his life. Sure, Ash wasn't really _doing_ anything, but he looked like he wanted to reduce Max to a puddle of goop right then and there.

Ash gave his plate back to Brock. "Sorry, Brock, but I just lost my appetite." And he left, going over a grassy hill, Swellow flying after him.

"Good job, Max!" May said to her little brother angrily. "You've got to learn to keep your big mouth _shut_!"

Max glared right back at her. "I didn't _mean_ to say that! Really!"

"Could've fooled me! You're so lucky you're just a kid, or Ash would've really given it to you!" May shouted at him.

"I'm not a kid!" Max protested.

"If you _weren't_, Ash would have—"

"Enough, you two!" Brock cut in, effectively shutting both May and Max up. "It won't help if you keep arguing!"

"May's the one who started yelling at me!" Max protested.

Brock put his hand up. "Don't even start, Max. You said something wrong, we all know that… Just be more careful…okay?"

* * *

"Swell swellow swellow low swell…," Swellow said gently. He had flown after his friend, and when Ash stopped, Swellow had landed lightly on the ground.

"I can't believe Max would even _think_ that…," Ash growled. "No one could ever replace Pikachu. Not in a million years!"

"Swell…"

"We've just got to _find_ Pikachu. I know finding one of Team Rocket's bases shouldn't be hard, but they have so many, it _could_ be hard… But they couldn't have gotten too far… They've still got to be in the area…" Ash stood up, looking to Swellow determinedly, but Swellow knew better. When Swellow really looked into Ash's eyes, he saw anger, depression, sadness…and yes, he did see a hint of determination, but not nearly as much as Ash tried to show on his facial expression. Ash was indeed skilled at hiding his emotions, and Swellow briefly wondered if he had always been this way.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ash asked Swellow, who had a thoughtful expression on his face.

Swellow gave the best shrug he could. "Swell swellow."

Ash shrugged himself and stared blankly ahead, too deep in his own thoughts to notice anything else.

* * *

"Brock, do you think he's okay?" May inquired, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Of course…," Brock growled for the millionth time.

May frowned. "It's lunch time already. He's been out there for hours!"

Brock rolled his eyes. He knew that if Ash needed time alone, it was best to just leave him alone. But since May kept bothering him… "Hey, Mudkip!" he called to the little water pokémon. "Why don't you go find Ash, buddy?"

"Kip, Mudkip!" And Mudkip trotted away, using the fin on his forehead to lead him to Ash.

"Better now?" Brock asked, looking to May. "Mudkip will make sure Ash doesn't do anything stupid. Like get himself hurt again…," he added the last part in a grumble.

May looked at him stubbornly. "I'd feel better if he was _here_."

Brock groaned. "You've really got to stop worrying about him. When Ash wants to be left _alone_, you leave him alone. He always comes back feeling a lot better—and a lot less irritable."

May almost snorted. "I don't know him as much as _you_ do," she pointed out. "You're the one who's been around him almost since the beginning."

"Yeah, I know him pretty well… I guess…" Brock sighed.

"What was it like before Ash came here to the Hoenn Region?" May inquired curiously.

"Different," Brock replied simply. "Of course Ash had totally different pokémon, and Misty was there too…" He smiled slightly. "Those two…"

"What about them?"

"They had a rather…unique…chemistry." Brock noticed May's confused look and smiled again. "You may have met Misty, but I can tell you that you've only seen one half of her. Let's just say she…has a temper."

May nodded slowly, kind of understanding. She looked over the grassy hill where Ash had disappeared hours ago, finding herself wondering if he was ever going to be okay again…

* * *

Ash was just lying back in the grass, trying to relax, when he heard something come up beside him and say, "Mudkip?"

Ash looked over to the Brock's little blue pokémon. "Hey, Mudkip… What, did Brock tell you to 'retrieve' me or something? If so, tell him I'm not coming. Maybe I'll come back in an hour or so, if they're lucky. Otherwise, expect me back by later tonight."

"Kip…"

Ash smirked. "And it's too bad they don't understand you, so I'm telling you that I'm leaving tomorrow without you or the others."

"Mudkip? Mud?"

Ash smiled. "I just can't go on with them. I've got to find Pikachu. _By myself_." His eyebrows creased. "And _Max_… Well, they'll all be sorry when I'm gone… But I'll come back, so don't you worry. It…it just may be awhile."

Mudkip was silent.

"We'll be fine, Mudkip. I'm going to come back with everyone… Everyone _including_ Pikachu."

* * *

Ash quietly stirred his bowl of soup a little more, trying not to let anyone else notice he wasn't eating. It wasn't going very well.

_Hmph. First he stuffed himself at breakfast, and then he leaves for…like eight hours… And now, he's barely eating dinner,_ May thought, taking a bite of Brock's delicious soup. She looked over to her brother, and could see that he still felt guilty.

May sighed. What had happened to their happy little group? What ever happened to the laughs, smiles and jokes? It only took one day, one stupid _day_, to change everything. She took a glance at Ash again. "Make up your mind already," she said irritably.

Ash looked up from his soup. "What?"

"Make up your mind," May repeated. "It's either you eat or you don't."

Ash rolled his eyes and finally took an enormous bite. Swallowing the soup, he flashed May an are-you-happy-now? look.

Brock sighed. It seemed that he was the only one acting completely normal around here. Not that he wasn't worried about Pikachu… But just because Pikachu wasn't there at the moment didn't mean everyone had to act weird. He wanted to shout one sentence to each of the other three. To Max, he'd say, "Stop feeling guilty, it's not your fault!" To May, he'd say, "Calm down!" And to _Ash_… Well, maybe if he spoke to Ash, it'd be a little more than one sentence. But it'd be along the lines of: "Stop acting so depressed. I know Pikachu's not here, but that doesn't mean he's never going to be here again. Get on with your life. Stop worrying us. Don't do anything stupid like trying to take Pikachu's attacks by yourself. Go to the Mossdeep Gym. Go there and _win_. Most importantly, _get back to normal_."

He shook his head inwardly. This was crazy. Completely crazy. Who knew that the loss of one little electric mouse pokémon could result in utter chaos?

And when he looked at Ash, he got this bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ash was going to do something… And knowing Ash, it was probably something not too smart either. What was worse, when Ash was upset, he usually did something more stupid than usual.

Brock inwardly rolled his eyes and made a note to keep an eye on his favorite little wannabe pokémon master.

It was later when he would realize that he really should have taken that task a whole lot more seriously.

* * *

Do I even need to ask?


	7. Chapter 7

Hi again, you guys. Well, first off, I woulda updated sooner, but poor me got soooo sad because of the season finale of one of my favorite shows in the whole world. (Supernatural) and i was just so shocked, I... okay, fine, i probably could have updated, but i didn't... but i'm here now, aren't i?

Answers to the reviews i can't reply to. (tear)

Triple QM! (aka Triple Question Mark, aka ?) thanks again for the review, and the question that i was going to ask at the end of the last chapter was. "Will you please review?" Everyone asks that, so I thought i'd mix it up. XP

Everyone else, thank you, thank you. (cookies for one and all!)

Read on

* * *

Ash opened his eyes once again and glanced at the clock for what seemed like the millionth time.

One o'clock in the morning. _Perfect_, Ash thought, taking a minute to make sure the others were completely asleep. He had been waiting up all night for this one moment.

Quietly getting out of his sleeping bag, Ash picked up his backpack. Luckily, the backpack was all ready to go so he didn't have to waste time trying to pack it. He grabbed his pokéballs and put them in his backpack and slung the bag over his shoulder.

Suddenly remembering something, Ash took out a piece of paper and scribbled a note. Not that he wouldn't just love leaving the others high and dry without one idea as to where he went and why, but he had decided that this was best.

After that, he snuck outside and began to walk stealthily away from the tent.

_Better get moving. If the others decide they want to come after me, I wouldn't want them to catch me now would I? Nope. I don't want to waste their time. This is my mission and mine alone,_ Ash thought.

* * *

"Wake up, wake _up_!" Max said, first shaking Brock senseless, and then moving onto May. "_Wake up!_" Going back to Brock, he began to shake him even more.

Brock groaned loudly. "Maxxxxxx…," he hissed. "Let me get back to sleep…"

"Yeah, come on. Go back to sleep," May mumbled, her arm swinging wildly, so if Max was near her, he'd surely get whacked.

"You don't _understand!_" Max shouted. He held up a piece of paper in one hand. "I found this and—"

"I don't care what you found. I only care about sleep right now," May grumbled.

"Yeah, me too," Brock agreed.

"But it's a note from—" Max tried again, waving the paper.

"We'll read your note later, Max," Brock said, and he began to drift off again.

"But Ash is—"

"—probably still sleeping," May cut in, her face still buried in her pillow. "So since everyone is _sleeping_, you should go to sleep too."

"Brock! May! Listen to me!" Max commanded. "This is _important_. As in _really_ important!" He thrust the piece of paper toward Brock.

Brock groaned again and looked over the piece of paper. _Oh…_, Brock thought silently, after reading the note. There was not a tired cell in his body now. He _knew_ something like this was going to happen.

"You see?" Max asked, knowing that Brock finally understood.

"Yeah, I understand," Brock said monotonously.

May shot up, knowing that something bad happened just by the tone of Brock's voice. She snatched the 'oh-so-important' sheet of paper from Brock and read it over herself.

_Brock, Max, and May,_

_I've decided to leave. I know you guys probably wouldn't understand, but I've got to get Pikachu back. I can't just sit around while my best friend is probably— I don't even want to think about it._

_This is all my fault you know. When Team Rocket's machine blew up, and we all went flying… Pikachu… I was so close to grabbing him. But…he slipped through my fingers._

_Funny. If I could have just done one thing right for once… If I had actually caught Pikachu, none of this would have happened. I've just got to set this whole thing right. I'm going to go and find Pikachu, because I'm not coming back without him. I'll meet up with you guys later…_

_But you guys go on. Go to another one of May's contests…_

_Brock: I know that Mom would have your neck if you told her you 'lost' me. So don't tell her, okay? She doesn't need to know about any of this._

_Max: You know what to do when Brock sees Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny or some other girl._

_May: Win all those contests while I'm gone. Get into the Grand Festival and then kick Drew's ass, okay?_

_See you guys later…_

_-Ash_

_PS – Don't you dare even think about coming after me._

May let the paper slide out of her hands before breathing, "Ash is gone…"

* * *

"Torkoal, Swellow, Grovyle, Corphish!" Ash threw his pokéballs into the air, letting out his four pokémon. When they came out, he said, "Breakfast time."

"Phish?" Corphish asked.

"Yeah, I left without the others. It's time to start our mission," Ash replied evenly. "We're going to Team Rocket's closest base first, which, I think, is the one right outside Lilycove…" _Yeah…but Team Rocket blew up the base because the hot air balloon was in it, remember? Well, I'm sure they rebuilt it. They need somewhere to stay…_, Ash thought.

He sat down on the grass and ran a hand through his raven-colored hair. He really didn't hope that the others wouldn't worry _too_ much.

Ash inwardly snorted. _You're making yourself sound more valuable than you actually are. They aren't worried. They don't give a crap that I'm gone. Besides, I'll be back sooner or later._

Ash was digging in his backpack, just looking for his own breakfast when he found something else.

_What!_ Ash thought loudly, holding up another pokéball—that had a pokémon inside. _Wait, I don't have another pokémon with me! I must have picked up this one by mistake! Oh, shit…_

Just then, the pokéball popped open and out came…

"Nahh!" Skitty exclaimed, drawing stares from the other pokémon.

"Wah! Skitty! Oh, May's gonna kill me……," Ash groaned. He then shot up. "I've got it! I'll just send it to May when we get to the next pokémon center." He sighed in relief.

Skitty scratched his ear with his back leg and stared up at Ash curiously. He understood the problem, but… Skitty yawned, curled up, and fell asleep.

Ash sighed again, but this time in exasperation. He quickly ate his own breakfast and returned the pokémon to their pokéballs. All of them except for Skitty, who refused to listen to Ash and just kept popping out of the pokéball.

"You're making this very difficult," Ash stated. "I'm really sorry that you had to come along, and I know you would have liked it better with May, but it was a _mistake_. I'm just going to save Pikachu. You can cooperate or not."

"Nah? Niih, nah…," Skitty said, scurrying beside Ash as he walked.

* * *

It had been a few hours of just plain walking when Ash heard something from beside him.

"Hello," greeted a soft voice.

It was a young girl sitting in the long grass, a Skitty cuddled in her arms.

"Hi," Ash greeted back.

"My name is Mary… And this might sound a little weird, but can I let my Skitty battle your Skitty? I'm trying to help her gain some battle experience, but it's not going too well…" Mary stood up and looked at Ash hopefully.

Ash shrugged. "Yeah, sure. I just have to warn you, I'm not used to battling with this Skitty. He's my friend's."

Mary smiled softly. "That's okay. We're not too good at battles yet."

When they had taken their respective places so they could battle, Ash had added, "By the way, my name's Ash."

Mary smiled again. "You ready, Natalie?" she asked, and her Skitty jumped forward, ready to battle.

Ash looked to May's Skitty in front of him. "Okay, Skitty, this may be a little weird, but do you want to battle with me?"

"Nah!" Skitty said happily—it was apparently a yes.

"Okay then! Let's go!" Ash exclaimed.

"Natalie, use Tackle!" Mary ordered, and the female Skitty went into action, throwing her whole body at May's Skitty.

"Dodge that," Ash said, and Skitty jumped out of the way just in time.

"That's okay, Natalie. Use Blizzard!"

Natalie drew in a huge breath, and then let it all out in a freezing wind that caught Skitty head-on.

"Don't worry, you can take that!" Ash encouraged. When the Blizzard attack was over, he said, "Okay, use Assist, now!"

A glowing white sphere engulfed Skitty's right paw, and out came…Bubblebeam?

_Oh, I guess because Assist chooses randomly from one of Skitty's teammates, and since Skitty isn't with May's other pokémon, I guess he got his attack from one of my pokémon…,_ Ash thought, seeing the Bubblebeam hit Natalie dead-on, blowing the little Skitty back.

"Now you use Assist!" Mary cried out, and her own Skitty let out an attack. It was…Thunderbolt.

"Nahhhhhh!" Skitty cried out when the Thunderbolt hit him, and Ash could really relate to that. _It hurts…_ Ash looked down to the collapsed form of Skitty. He knew the little pokémon didn't have much energy left… And Skitty wasn't used to battling…

"Come on, Skitty, get up! Just think, if you win, we can tell May about it, and she'll be so proud of you!" Ash shouted to Skitty.

Skitty made no move.

"Skitty, please. I know I'm not your trainer, but if you get hurt, I'll never be able to forgive myself. If you get back up, I can help you win this!" Ash tried again.

Skitty struggled up and looked back to Ash, waiting for an order.

"That's the way! Now let's finish this up with Assist!"

"Use Iron Tail, Natalie!" And Natalie's tail glowed white as she rushed towards Skitty.

Skitty jumped up and used Assist just in time. Now the Assist turned into Bullet Seed, and it successfully stopped Natalie in her tracks and the female Skitty fainted.

Mary sighed deeply and returned Natalie to her pokéball. "I guess we still need practice."

Ash smiled slightly. "You and your pokémon always learn from your losses." He looked to Skitty. "You were great, pal."

"Nah!" Skitty cried happily.

* * *

"Oh my God, where's Skitty!" May asked fearfully. She had just left her pokéballs next to Brock's and Ash's just the last night, but now Skitty's pokéball was gone.

"What's wrong?" Max queried, hearing May's voice.

"Skitty's missing! First Ash and now Skitty! What's next!" May fell down and closed her eyes. "Where's Skitty…?"

"Whoa, settle down. I'm sure we'll find Skitty…… Maybe Ash took him by accident," Brock said.

May's eyes shot open and flashed. "Well, if he _did_ take Skitty… Oh, when I see Mr. Ash Ketchum, I'm so gonna kick his a—"

"May, don't say that when Max is here," Brock advised. "And I'm sure Ash didn't mean it…"

"Maybe so, but I'm still going to kick his a—"—Brock shot her a look—"_butt. _Kick his _butt_." May lowered her voice, so no one heard her say, "Ass…kick his ass…"

Brock sighed and said, "I'm sure Ash probably already sent Skitty to the Lilycove pokémon center, so why don't we go there?"

"Then what are we waiting for!" And May sprang up and began to trot to the pokémon center.

* * *

"Ni, ni, ni ni ni…," Skitty murmured happily the next day, playfully zigzagging in front of Ash. He looked up at Ash with a big smile. "Nahhh!" He ran around to the back of Ash and climbed up to Ash's shoulder, taking Pikachu's respective spot.

Ash didn't say anything. He was nearing the pokémon center now… He really didn't need to stop, but since Skitty was there with them… Ash sighed, and although it felt better when there was a little familiar weight on his shoulder, it still wasn't Pikachu.

Skitty seemed to sense his dismay, and asked, "Nahni? Ni nah?"

Ash looked down. "Skitty, when you go back to the others… Just make sure they don't find me, okay?" He now walked inside the pokémon center, half wondering how stupid he looked with a pink kitten pokémon on his shoulder. He made his way over to the phone and took out Skitty's pokéball.

"It's time now, Skitty," he said, punching in the phone number for the Lilycove pokémon center.

"Nahni…," Skitty replied softly. The baby pokémon snuggled his head into Ash's sadly.

"Lilycove pokémon center, this is Nurse Joy speaking. How may I help you?" asked Nurse Joy over the phone, her cheery-looking face filling the screen.

"Hi," Ash began. "Is there a girl named May over there? I need to speak with her."

Nurse Joy smiled. "I'll go check…" And she left the screen.

Thinking quick, Ash switched off the video part of the phone. He didn't know why he did that, but he just had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach…

"You're going to have to wish my luck on my mission, Skitty, because I have a feeling that it's not going to be easy," Ash finally said after a minute.

"Nah ni nah," Skitty said.

"Ash, is that you?" inquired a soft feminine voice from the phone speaker. Ash knew it was May.

"Yeah, it's me."

"ASH KETCHUM, YOU _ASS_!" May shouted, making Ash cringe. "Where's Skitty, Ash! I wake up and he's _gone?_! I wake up, and he's not _there?_! Do you know how that feels!"

"May, it was an _accident_. And _yes_, I do know how it feels, so don't give me a lecture. Why do you think I'm calling now? I'm returning Skitty. He's right here, safe and sound," Ash replied calmly.

"Well, give him back, NOW!"

Ash sighed. He knew May loved Skitty to pieces. Who wouldn't? Skitty are extremely cute… He returned Skitty to his pokéball and set the pokéball on the transporter. Finally, he pressed the send button.

Ash heard an audible sigh in relief from the other end of the line, and also heard Skitty cry, "Nahni, Nahni, Nahni! Ni nah, Nahni! Nah nih Nahninah!"

"It's okay, Skitty, you're back with me now," May soothed happily, and Ash could just picture them snuggling.

Ash scratched the back of his head. Why had he thought that his friends would be worried about _him_? They obviously didn't care. "Well, now that you have Skitty back, I guess this is goodbye… So…goodbye." And with that, he hung up.

* * *

The End

I'm kidding of course. We're not even close to the end.


	8. Chapter 8

Got to make this quick...

Thanks everyone for reviewing, and sorry i couldn't get this out sooner!

I DON'T OWN POKEMON!

* * *

"How could you let him hang up!" Brock said loudly.

"I didn't know he was going to hang up! He didn't even let me say anything!" May protested.

Brock groaned. "We have no idea where Ash is. This doesn't make me happy, it makes me worried. I don't like the idea of Ash being off on his own."

"I'm worried about Ash too, you know!" May retorted.

"Really? I couldn't tell by the way you were talking to him!" Max cut in. "We'll probably never find him, and when he _does_ run into Team Rocket, who knows what will happen!"

"Why don't we just _forget_ about Ash right now?" May asked. "It was his choice to leave. Let's just go to the next town, and the next contest. We'll…we'll…call Ash later."

"How can we? We don't know where he is!" Brock pointed out.

"I don't care if we have to call every pokémon center in Hoenn," May hissed. "We will call him. Later."

* * *

"Chu pika pikachu… Pika chu chu…," Pikachu whispered to Meowth the next night.

Meowth looked to Pikachu, and then whispered to Jessie and James, "Pikachu says that the twoip without da hat is spyin' on us. He thinks dat the twoip is going to pull somethin'."

James glared slightly. "Doesn't that kid ever give up?"

"It might be a good ting that dat twoip is here. We could steal all his pokémon and give 'em to the boss!" Meowth exclaimed, but still low enough so the twerp who was spying couldn't hear.

"Say what?" James asked, confused.

"Imagine the boss wakin' up one morning… He sees all dese fine pokémon, and when he does, do yah know what he's gonna say? 'Meowth and his friends are the reason that I got all these fine pokémon.'"

Jessie shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, it should be easy now that we have Pikachu………back."

They all nodded on the plan and James stood up, saying something that he thought he'd never say…

* * *

"Come on out and get us, you lame excuse for a twerp!" James called out.

Ash stood up, surprised. They had noticed him? Great, just _great_. Well, if it was a battle they wanted, that was what they were going to get… As long as he didn't have to hurt Pikachu.

He stepped from the bushes and began to say something.

"We already know what you want, twerp," Jessie said. "And the answer is no." She took out two pokéballs. "Seviper, Dustox, let's go!"

James threw his own pokéball. "You too, Cacnea!" He smiled down at Pikachu. "And of course you can fight as well."

Ash frowned at this, but took out his own pokéballs. Throwing them into the air, the pokémon came out and looked ready to battle.

"Okay, Seviper, use Wrap on Corphish. Dustox, you use Pysbeam on Grovyle!" Jessie shouted out.

"Pin Missile on Torkoal, Cacnea. And Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Swellow!" James called, a triumphant tone in his voice, as if he had already won.

"Swellow, Corphish, dodge it! Torkoal, use Iron Defense, and Grovyle, use Bullet Seed on that Psybeam!" Ash ordered, feeling a little weird, battling with four pokémon at the same time.

Grovyle's Bullet Seed broke through Dustox's Pysbeam and hit the bug pokémon head-on. Torkoal pulled himself inside his shell to protect himself, and Corphish narrowly dodged Seviper. Swellow, on the other hand, failed to dodge Pikachu's attacks, and, being weak against electric attacks, fell to the ground.

"Swell…," Swellow breathed sadly, fainting.

Ash didn't have time to return Swellow to his pokéball, so he stepped in front of the flying pokémon's body to protect him and went on with the battle. "Corphish, Bubblebeam on Cacnea! Grovyle, Leaf Blade on Seviper! Torkoal, Flamethrower on Dustox!"

Grovyle's Leaf Blade hit the mark and Seviper fainted right away, making Jessie glare and return her to her pokéball. Torkoal's and Corphish's attacks were dodged, though.

"Cacnea, Needle Arm on Torkoal! Pikachu, Thunderbolt on Corphish!"

"Dustox use Pin Missile on Grovyle!"

"Torkoal, Iron Defense! Grovyle, Bullet Seed! Corphish…try to dodge!" Ash said automatically.

Cacnea looked like she broke her arm when she hit Torkoal's hard shell. Dustox's Pin Missile hit Grovyle and threw him back, and Corphish…got hit with a Thunderbolt from Pikachu.

"PHIIIIIIISHHH!" Corphish screamed. Being of the water type, Corphish was also very weak against electric-type attacks. He also fainted, right next to Swellow.

Ash gritted his teeth, Corphish's scream echoing in his mind. That was two pokémon down. "Torkoal, use Overheat on Dustox!" he shouted angrily. "And use Solar Beam on Cacnea, Grovyle!"

His two pokémon began charging their energy, and Ash allowed himself a bitter smile. It appeared to be over for Cacnea and Dustox…

"Thunder, Pikachu!" Jessie and James called out at the same time.

"No!" Ash screamed as Pikachu Thundered his last two pokémon. He could see…could see their pain…

"KOOOAAAAAAL!"

"VVVVYYYYYYYYLLE!"

All his pokémon fainted, Ash himself stepped forward, only stopping about a foot from James, glaring.

"Is that all you got, twerp? I thought you were better than that," James spat. "I guess without your most powerful pokémon, you're nothing. But now he's all"—James smiled—"ours."

"Bastard!" Ash yelled, leaping on James and squeezing his hands around James's neck.

"Hey!" Jessie and Meowth exclaimed at the same time.

Meowth Fury Swiped Ash's leg, easily ripping the pant leg and leaving three bloody scratches on his right leg. "Get off him!"

"Get off me…you…twerp," James croaked.

Ash squeezed harder. "Die… Die, you _bastard_!"

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Jessie yelled.

Ash briefly loosened his grip, wondering what she was ordering _that_ for. It's not like any pain could make him take his hands off James's throat. Nothing would until the Team Rocket member was _dead_.

But then he felt a sharp pain on the back of his skull, like someone hit it with a lead pipe. After that, everything went dark.

* * *

Ash cracked open his eyes. _What—what happened? Where am I?_ Suddenly everything came back and Ash bolted up.

Or tried to. He realized that his hands were bound behind his back, and his legs were tied at the ankles. When he looked around, he figured that he was inside Team Rocket's base. _But where's Team Rocket? Where's…where's my pokémon!_

"Swellow…," breathed a weak voice from behind Ash.

Ash turned around the best he could and saw four cages, one holding each of his pokémon. They all looked so…weak. All of them were just lying there, looking so lifeless. The only thing that indicated that they were alive was the slow rise and fall of their chests.

_Pokémon center. _The thought struck Ash like a load of bricks. _Got to get them to the pokémon center._ But how could he? How could he get out?

Beginning to struggle desperately against his bonds, Ash told himself that he shouldn't have gotten his other pokémon involved in this…

* * *

"Well, before we leave, can we at least stop at the restaurant one more time? I mean, there's nothing wrong with your cooking, Brock, but having dinner out for once is nice too," May pointed out.

"I guess we can do that. We can catch the ferry to Mossdeep tomorrow morning," Brock replied.

"I'm all for that!" Max agreed.

May picked up her Skitty and held him close. "I was so worried about you, Skitty."

"Nah, nah nih nihnah nahnini Nahni," Skitty replied happily.

"Um, May?" Max began. "What's this new combination 'Nahni' mean?"

It struck May that she hadn't really been listening to Skitty. Of course she knew what Nahni meant. "Well, Skitty calls me 'Nini'… And he calls Ash 'Nahni'……" Her voice trailed off.

Max frowned slightly. "I see…" He paused for a few minutes before asking, "So there's a contest in Mossdeep?"

"Actually…" May drew the word out. "I don't know _where_ the next contest is… I rarely do… It's just no one really noticed because it was either we were going to one of my contests, or Ash's next gym battle…"

Max sighed. "It's just not the same without Ash."

"What's that? Cinders is missing?" inquired an all-too-familiar voice from behind them.

"Drew," May exclaimed, but her voice was lacking the sourness she usually had when she said his name. "I didn't know you were still in Lilycove."

"Another thing you didn't know," Drew said, flipping his bangs. "But that's really not answering my earlier question. Did you lose Cinders or something?"

"For your information, _no_ we didn't!" Max snapped.

"And his name is _Ash_," May added.

Drew rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Besides, I couldn't help but overhear some of you conversation, and for _your_ information, May, the next contest _is_ in Mossdeep City. I'm going there myself tomorrow."

Max snorted. "Good for you."

_I wonder why Max is acting like that to Drew…,_ May wondered. _I mean, Drew can be a showoff, but still…_

Drew ignored Max and set his green eyes on May. "I'll see you at Mossdeep then."

May smiled. "Yeah…" _Since when did Drew get so hot?_ May almost choked in surprise. _What! May, I think you've been staying up too late… Drew isn't hot, he's your rival, you don't like him, you only want to ki—_ May's cheeks instantly grew hot.

Drew flipped his bangs again, smirking slightly and walking off.

_You hate Drew………,_ May told herself, squashing the fluttery feeling inside of her. _Even so… I wonder what his kisses feel like…_ _Not that I want to kiss him! Ew, that's so gross…_

She looked back to the two boys. "So…are we going now?"

"Of course, May," Brock said, a small smug smile on his face. He gave Max an I-told-you-so look and led the way, leaving May to wonder what the look was for.

* * *

It might be a while until i update again, so leave plenty of reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

hey... sorry i haven't updated in so long. I was grounded...

I wanted to give you two more chapters, but my PC has been giving me trouble, so i'll should be able to get them in by tomorrow.

I don't own Pokemon

* * *

"This is for almost killin' James!" Meowth exclaimed loudly, withdrawing his claws and slicing them across Ash's chest. Ripping through the shirt as if it was nothing, the first scratch left three bloody marks.

"This is for making us blast off all those times!" Another scratch.

Ash felt the blood run down his chest and winced.

"And this is for screwin' up all our plans!" More scratches. "And _this,_" Meowth began, unsheathing his claws again, "is—for—existing!" He emphasized each word with another scratch, and Ash's shirt was in shreds.

"Gro, gro, grovyle, gro VYLE!" Grovyle growled angrily, the other pokémon also adding angry comments.

"Koooooooaaaaaaaal!" Tears poured from Torkoal's eyes.

Jessie stuffed another bite of her sandwich in her mouth and watched Meowth. "Meowth, don't do that while we're _eating_. C'mon, I know you're hungry."

Meowth glared at Ash. "Fine…," he grumbled, jumping up on the table and grabbing a sandwich.

_I wonder what I could do to the twerp. I mean, Meowth has his claws. Maybe Seviper could use Bite on him… No, no… Maybe Poison Tail? No… Haze is completely useless, and Wrap? Well… I guess it could be okay… But what would that really do?_ Jessie sighed, deciding against using Seviper and tried to think of something else.

It was only when Pikachu hopped next to her, smiled, and began eating himself when Jessie was struck with one of her famous evil plans.

* * *

A few hours later, Ash was trying to get to sleep. Oh, he was exhausted… But he couldn't get to sleep with the pain burning on his chest. Ash didn't even want to _look_ at the deep scratches etched there.

"Koal—koal torkoal koal tor?" Torkoal cried silently. Ever since the first cut, Torkoal had been crying nonstop.

Just then, Ash saw…Pikachu…come out of where he assumed that Team Rocket was sleeping. The little electric pokémon walked over to Ash.

"Pika, pika," he said with a smile.

"Pikachu…?" Ash asked weakly.

"Chu pika, pika." Pikachu's sincere-looking smile spread across his whole face.

_Wait… Did Pikachu…?_ Ash wondered. "Pikachu… Do you remember me?"

"Chu pika pika, ka." Pikachu put his hand on Ash's knee. "Pika pi chu…," he said sadly.

"You—you remember? Pikachu, I've missed you so much… You've gotta help us out of here!" Ash hissed, although his smile told Pikachu that he was exploding with relief and happiness.

"Pika…pika……" Pikachu's sincere smile turned into a nasty one. "CHUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Ash instantly bit down hard on his tongue, trying to endure Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…_ The thought echoed through Ash's mind. _How could you, Pikachu? Why does this have to happen? No…no… NO!_

When the attack was finally over, Ash fell limply to the floor, barely comprehending the voice that he heard from the other room.

"Good job, Pikachu, you did your best friend Jessie a good job!"

* * *

"_I know you like him… That's why I always acted this way. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. But I just want you to be—to be happy. So go off with him. I'll be fine," he said._

"_What? No! You don't understand!" May protested, her eyes widening. "I don't like Ash! Not like that!"_

"_Come on, May… You're so worried about him…because he ran away… That means you do care about him…"_

"_Yes, I do care about him. But just as a friend! You have to understand that!" May took a few steps closer to him. "I never noticed it before, but you're—you're so… I think I like you…"_

"_Well, we've never really been friends, so are you saying you like me as a friend…?"_

"_No… After these few days, I've been examining my feelings for you… I like you more than a friend… I think I'm in love with you…," May whispered, her sentence trailing off as he grabbed her hand._

"_May, I've loved you ever since I set eyes on you."_

"_Then why—?"_

"_Because I thought you'd think I was stupid for having a crush on you." He leaned in closer, and their faces were just inches apart. "You are the single most beautiful person I have ever seen… Your eyes, they're like magic. When I look into them, I have this feeling that makes me feel like I can do anything… Anything, but nothing if I'm not with you…"_

"_Oh, Drew…" And May let Drew pull her into a deep kiss that seemed so short, yet so long at the same time. It was like time didn't exist in the little world that they were in right now, where the only thing you could feel was bliss…_

May shot up, blinking a few times and looking around. The ferry, they were all on the ferry.

May sighed inwardly and tried to remember every detail of that dream…

_What! That's crazy! I'm crazy! Why am I dreaming about Drew! I don't even like him, much less like him like that! But those wonderful emerald eyes…_ May shook her head. _No…_

"Hey, May, are you okay?" Max asked warily, waving his hand in front of his sister's face. "Did yah have a nightmare or something?"

"No…no, I didn't," May answered tiredly. She looked around. "Where's Brock?"

Max rolled his eyes. "It seems that there's this 'really hot babe' working on the ferry, and Brock went to go bother her. And what's _worse_, Drew had to be on this ferry today too…"

"Drew…?" May asked, her dream coming back again.

"Yeah. That jerk is over there." Max indicated about twenty feet away from them. He shook his head. "Well, as Ash says in his note, I know what to do when Brock gets crazy… I better go find him…" And Max took off.

May lay back in her seat, immersed in her thoughts, when she was interrupted.

"So, you never told me what happened to Cinders," Drew said, seating himself next to May. "What, did he get himself lost?"

May looked over to him and began to feel weird… But she replied, "No… It's… He had something to do, and he just left without us."

"Oh, I see. He ran away, did he? Why didn't he bring you along? Because he was afraid his girlfriend was going to get hurt?"

"I told you once and I'll tell you again," May said tightly. "Ash is _not_, repeat, _not_ my boyfriend. I don't like him that way. In fact, I find him quite annoying sometimes." May waited a second to see Drew's reaction before continuing. "And the reason he didn't take _us_ was because it was a personal matter."

"So where is he?"

"…I don't know…"

Drew laughed. "If _I_ was your boyfriend, I'd at least _tell_ you where I was going."

"Well, since Ash isn't my—"

Drew put his hand up. "My mistake. You and Cinders would never make a good couple anyway."

"Thank you. Besides, I'm never going to get a boyfriend," May stated.

"Why not?" And when May threw him a questioning look, he added, "Curious."

"Because, Drew. If I had a boyfriend, I'd never see him, unless he were to travel with me. I'm not that pretty, and boys never really shown any interest whatsoever in me at all," May bit out.

"You must be blind then," Drew muttered under his breath.

—_Flashback—_

"Well, you did it, May," Drew stated, making May turn around and look at him. She had just won her very first ribbon at the Fallarbor Town contest. "Of course if you had been competing against _me_ in the first round, things might've ended up a whole lot different." He threw a rose to her, and it landed perfectly on the ribbon case she was holding.

May picked up the rose. "I suppose this rose is for Beautifly, right?"

Drew turned away, flipping his bangs. "Yeah…something like that…" And he walked away.

—_End Flashback—_

"You're crazy, May," Drew said a little louder, so the girl could hear him this time. "You're pretty, I'm sure a guy……" he let his sentence trail off when he realized he had called May pretty. He blushed furiously. "I mean……guys will see you as pretty, I'm just not…"

May cocked her head to one side. Not once had she ever seen Drew trip over his words so much. It was kind of cute…… And with that thought, she began to blush as well.

"What I meant to say was…," Drew tried again, but he heaved a sigh in defeat. "Never mind," he mumbled. "I just get my words mixed up sometimes, that's all…… Too much traveling alone……"

_Traveling alone…… What person would want that? Did Drew even have the choice?_ May asked herself. There was a long, uncomfortable silence between the two of them. A silence May finally broke. "Well……since Ash isn't here……and you are……why don't you come and travel with us?" Once the words left her mouth, she had to look down to hide her blush. She swore she had never blushed this much in her life.

Drew seemed taken aback by this idea. "As much as I'd love to…," he started.

May's mood suddenly changed to downcast. He was going to say no, she _knew_ it.

"…But are you sure the others are going to be okay with it?"

_He didn't say no!_ "I'm sure they'll be fine with it." And May gave him a small smile.

"Well, if that's how it's going to be… I just want you to know that I'm only really coming because I'm sick of traveling alone… There really isn't any other reason."

"Okay then…… And I want _you_ to know that the only reason I asked is because…I think… That if we're both going to contests, we might as well, right?" May knew that this was logical, but also knew that she just wanted Drew around… Ever since that weird dream, she felt that maybe liking Drew wasn't so bad after all…

* * *

(dies)

(comes back to life)

okay, so you want the next two chapters tomorrow, or shall i just torture the readers who like this story into waiting for a few more precious days?


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry it took me longer than expected. I was pretty busy with packing on Saturday, and on Sunday, i spent 18 HOURS riding on a train. And i couldn't use my laptop, because there were no outlets, and my battery died, and.. I almost went insane. But i'm here now, soo...

(I don't own Pokemon, but what if i did?)

* * *

Ash tried to concentrate on breathing the next morning. He hadn't gotten one wink of sleep the last night, which helped him develop one hell of a headache. And then there were still all those cuts… And he just learned that Team Rocket was going to take his other pokémon to their boss today… Once they got back from wherever they went…

_I can't let them take the others away… And they're too weak to break out on their own. And I don't think I can get out of these ropes myself… I've tried all last night and it didn't work… Unless…_ Ash's mind was struck with an idea.

"Hey, Grovyle…" Ash pushed his back up to Grovyle's cage. "Do…do you think you can use a weak Leaf Blade attack to cut through my ropes?"

"Vyle…gro…," Grovyle whispered, not looking so well. Nonetheless, the leaf on his right arm glowed and turned into a small blade, and he carefully used it to slice through Ash's ropes like butter.

"Thanks, buddy," Ash said, beginning to work on the ropes around his ankles. "I'll get you out, and then we can go to the pokémon center to get you guys better." Sliding the ropes off his ankles, he grabbed the keys to the cages from the table just ten feet away from him, ignoring his body's protests.

Five minutes later, Ash and his pokémon walked out of Team Rocket's base. He would have returned his pokémon to their pokéballs, but he couldn't find his backpack that held the pokéballs inside the base, so he assumed that the bag had fallen off outside.

He might have taken about ten steps onto the grass before he heard a snap of a twig behind him.

"Ah ha!" James exclaimed loudly, jumping behind Ash and pulling a thin but strong rope around his neck, making Ash gasp for breath. "Jessie told me that you'd pull something like this!" He looked to the pokémon. "You better get back inside, or I'll kill twerp…" And to demonstrate, James pulled the string so hard, Ash grabbed for it on reflex and tried to get it off.

No such luck. But James did loosen up as the pokémon seemed to begin to obey.

_You can't make my pokémon do anything…,_ Ash thought angrily, jabbing James with his elbow as hard as he could.

James yelped, and for a second, the string pulled tight again, and Ash almost blacked out.

After jabbing more forcefully, Ash managed to squirm free of James's grip. "This is for all you've done!" And Ash punched James right in the jaw, driving the Team Rocket member into a tree and into unconsciousness.

Grabbing his backpack, Ash took the pokéballs out, gave his pokémon a look that said, 'don't worry', and returned them.

Ash was about one or two miles from the nearest town when he stopped in his tracks, realizing that he still looked……pretty bad.

Looking down to the blood stained shreds that used to be his shirt, Ash decided he better do something about _that_ before he went to the pokémon center. It was his _pokémon_ who needed help, not _him_, and he was sure that if Nurse Joy saw him like _this_…well, he was sure that it wouldn't help him in any way.

Still walking pretty fast, Ash suddenly pulled off his backpack and held it close to his chest. _There…now no one will ever notice… Yeah, now I better step on it. _And with that, he began to walk a little faster.

Twenty minutes later, he handed over his pokéballs to Nurse Joy. "And um…I'd like a room, please."

"Okay." Nurse Joy smiled at him. "For how long?"

"Just for a day, please." Inwardly, Ash was pleased that Nurse Joy didn't seem to notice that he was hiding his chest, or the cuts on his leg—but she wouldn't be able to see _those_ from behind her desk.

She told him what room he would be staying in, and Ash quickly went there.

He dropped his bag on the bed and went into the bathroom, turning on the shower and stripping off his dirty clothes.

Stepping into the cascade of hot drops of water, Ash ignored the angry stinging of his cuts and focused on cleaning himself thoroughly.

He closed his eyes for a second, being so tired from no sleep and nonstop walking. But he also found his thoughts drifting back to his friends. They were probably in Mossdeep City by now—if they decided to go there, that is.

He wondered if they had been thinking about him lately…if they had worried at all…

_No,_ Ash thought. _Of course they wouldn't worry. It's not like they care…_ He scrubbed at the cuts on his chest in frustration, telling himself that he was just cleaning the dirt out. But all it did was make the cuts bleed again…

* * *

"You _WHAT_!" Max exclaimed loudly, disbelief written all over his face. The three had made it to Mossdeep, and now they were in their room at the pokémon center.

"I don't think it's that bad of an idea," Brock commented.

"Good, that means you're out voted, Max," May said.

Max folded his arms across his chest. "Well, I claim Ash's voting rights, so I say two 'no' votes!"

"I knew Ash way longer than you have," Brock pointed out. "_I'm _claiming his rights. Ha. Three against one. It's settled. Drew is traveling with us. Or at least until Ash comes back."

"Why are you so against it anyway?" May asked her little brother, a little annoyed.

"The question is, why are you so _with_ the idea?" Max queried suspiciously.

"Well…um… You know, I could learn a lot from him, since his contest methods differ from mine……," May tried.

"It doesn't matter _why_," Brock said. "He's coming with us whether you like it or not, Max."

Max's eyebrows creased irritably. "It's not fair you get Ash's voting rights!" he spat out.

Brock's amused smile gradually turned into a frown. "Speaking of Ash, we should try and contact him… I mean, we haven't seen him in…like…three or four days now." As he said that, he began to look worried. Going over to the phone and taking out the phone book, Brock began to dial a number. "Ash couldn't have gotten that far from Lilycove in only three days. So I'll call every pokémon center that's near Lilycove…"

"Once he gets back," Max said to May, "Drew's leaving."

"Not necessarily. Besides, how long is it going to take to get Pikachu back? Ash could be gone forever."

"May! I can't believe you would say that!" Max cried. "If I didn't know better, I would say you don't care about Ash whatsoever!"

"Shut up, Max," May ordered in her big sister voice. "I was just stating the obvious. No one else seems to want to." And she returned the glare that Max was throwing her.

"Uh-huh, I see. Thanks anyway… Bye," Brock said to his third Nurse Joy. He began to dial once again. He looked to the two siblings. "Be quiet, you two…"

"Hello?" asked Nurse Joy.

"Hello, my name is Brock, and I was wondering if there's an Ash Ketchum there?"

"Oh, yes, he just came in a half an hour ago. I'm assuming you wish to speak with him?"

Brock threw a triumphant look over his shoulder. "Yes, please."

"Okay. Please stand by while I connect you to his room…" And the screen went blank, a sound telling Brock that Ash's phone was ringing…

* * *

_Bring! …Bring! …Bring!_

Ash glared into thin air, annoyed because the phone just _had_ to ring when he was just about to try and get some sleep. Flipping off the screen switch to the phone, he answered it with a simple, "Hello…?"

"Ash?" Brock's face filled the screen, but of course, Brock couldn't see Ash. Hence the turned off screen.

"Who else would it be?" Ash asked no one in particular. "What's up?"

"Nothing… We just arrived in Mossdeep…so…yeah…" Brock paused, looking puzzled. "Why isn't your screen working?"

"Because I don't have it on," Ash said tightly.

Brock's face showed a little suspicion and he didn't say anything for a minute.

"And as you probably already figured out, I still don't have Pikachu back," Ash added, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. "So I'm not going to meet up with you guys…yet… As if you care…," he said the last bit just under his breath.

"Hey, Ash," Max began, coming into the screen. "If me, May, and Brock were going to vote on something, who'd you give your voting rights to?"

Ash didn't see the point to this question, but answered, "Brock."

Max groaned and Ash saw him collapse in a bed that was behind Brock. "Why? Why me?"

"_Anyway,"_ Brock continued. "We just decided to check up on you…"

"Why?"

"What do you mean, _why_?" Brock asked indignantly. "You've been gone for three days! We haven't _seen_ you in three days!" Ash could see Brock frowning. He could also spot May and Max next to Brock.

"Turn that screen on," Brock ordered.

"Why?" Ash asked again.

"Because we want to _see_ you," Brock replied.

Ash was silent for a very long time. "Fine," he finally retorted, flipping the screen on.

Three pairs of eyes bored into him for the longest time.

"Umm… You don't look too well, Ash," Brock said, frowning even more.

Ash rolled his eyes. _If you think I look bad from just seeing me from the shoulders up, then you should see my bare chest. Now there's something you would frown about._

"You look like you haven't slept in days," Max added. "And…" He frowned. "Did—did something happen?"

Ash shrugged. "I just ran into some………trouble. Nothing too bad."

"Ash, seriously, you don't look well," Brock repeated.

Ash glared. "It's not like I _want_ to look like this, Brock. And so what? I'm a little in— I mean, tired. It's not like you can _do_ anything about it. You're not here, Brock. None of you are! Do you know _why_ you aren't here? Because what happened to me would have happened to you. And I would _never_, _never_, put you through that."

"What do you mean, 'what happened to you'?" May queried.

Ash briefly wondered how he should answer that question when there was a knock on his door. Looking back to the screen, he said, "Hold on, someone's knocking…"

He got up and opened the door, to find Nurse Joy there.

"Here's your pokémon back, Ash," she said with a smile, handing his pokéballs to him. "With a little more rest, they'll be fine." And she left.

Closing his door again, Ash let out his pokémon, just to see how they were doing.

Swellow and Corphish looked much better. Swellow began to stretch his wings experimentally.

Ash smiled slightly, happy that his pokémon were feeling better. He opened his window and said, "Why don't you stretch your wings out there, Swellow? Just don't push yourself too hard."

"Swellow!" And Swellow flew out the window happily, soaring across the skies.

"Vyle, gro vyle vyle?" Grovyle asked tiredly.

"Just seeing how you guys were doing," Ash said, returning Grovyle to his pokéball and looking to Corphish, giving the crab pokémon a 'glad-you're-okay' look before returning him to his pokéball. Last but not least, he looked to Torkoal, who was crying again.

Ash sighed and sat down in front of the phone screen again. "It's _okay_, Torkoal…"

Torkoal ignored his words and plopped himself next to Ash's chair.

"What's wrong with Torkoal?" May inquired, looking to the orange turtle pokémon.

"Um… You know Torkoal… He's……easily…worried," Ash replied carefully.

There were three frowns on the other end of the line. "Which brings me back to my previous question…," May began again.

"Nothing. Nothing 'happened' to me," Ash answered curtly. "You don't have to 'worry'."

"Kooooooaaaaal!"

"I'm fine, Torkoal, buddy," Ash soothed. "I'm fine now… It's okay… It's going to take a little more than _that_ to bring me down…" Even as he said that, he shuddered, remembering the nasty trick Pikachu played.

"Ash…," Brock said in a 'tell-me-what-happened' voice.

Ash's cuts flared angrily, letting Ash know that something was irritating his skin. Placing a hand on his chest, trying to stop the cuts from hurting, Ash said, "Um, as much as I'd love to talk to you guys all day—"

"Don't you _dare_ do what I think you're about to do, Ash," May spat. "You're not just going to—"

Ash hit the disconnect button, ending the conversation. It was getting a little too uncomfortable for him anyway. Pulling up his shirt, he looked at the cuts underneath and wasn't pleased with what he saw.

They were _everywhere_. Crisscrossing and some still bleeding. Some weren't as deep as others, but even the thinnest ones were pretty deep. All in all, his whole chest burned like hell.

Ash let himself fall onto his bed and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

You can read the next chapter now )


	11. Chapter 11

YAY, ANOTHER CHAPTER! Okay, so let's see where we are...

Okay, there's still quite a bit to go...

And I still don't own Pokemon (surprise surprise.)

Okay, i won't keep you any longer...

* * *

"He—he hung up on us!" May exclaimed, almost shaking with anger.

Brock folded his arms across his chest. "There's something wrong here."

"What are we going to do about it?" Max asked. "He was right, we're not there, so we can't really—"

"It's time to bring in the heavy guns. I know who can get through to him." And Brock began to dial again.

May raised an eyebrow. "Who? His mother?"

"Nope. It's not _that_ serious yet."

There was a burst of static over the phone before the three friends saw someone's picture come up on the screen. "Brock! It's good to hear from you!"

"Hey! As much as I'd love to say that I'm calling just to catch up on some old times… But we need your help."

"Okay……"

"Help with Ash…," Brock added.

"What! Oh, great, what has he gotten himself into this time? I swear he's always getting into trouble. Some things just never change…"

"Well, I'll let him tell you the whole story—even though he may not want to—and then you'll see what I need help with."

"Wait. What do you mean, 'he may not want to'?"

Brock sighed. "He may not want to because it's pretty bad. He's not here now, as you've probably already noticed. The reason for _that_ is because he set out on his own."

"……So he just left you? Just like that? It must be real important to him."

"Believe me, it is. He left three days ago, and we had no idea as to where he was. We did manage to contact him just a few minutes ago, but he hung up on us when we began to ask him about what happened to him… Because you can tell something _happened_…"

"Okay, I think I understand this so far. Now, on a scale from one to ten, what would you rate the situation? Ten being a terrible hell-born situation."

Brock looked from May to Max and back to the phone screen. "About a nine point five if you ask me."

"Hmmm… And on a scale from one to ten, what would you rate Ash's emotional state? Ten being okay and one being totally depressed."

Brock threw the person a dubious look. "What? That's a dumb question. You'll figure that out soon enough."

"Well, I'd say a zero," May muttered. "But it depends on when you catch him."

The person frowned deeply. "Okay, give me his number, right now."

* * *

_Bring! …Bring! …Bring!_

_Oh, no, I am not going to talk to Brock and the others again. I'm tired… My head…_, Ash thought, burying himself under the blankets and putting his pillow over his head.

_Bring! …Bring! …Bring! …Bring! …Bring!_

_Go the hell away!_

_BRING! …BRING! …BRING! …BRING!_

_JUST BE QUIET, DAMN IT!_ Ash yelled in his mind. Suddenly, the phone stopped. _Oh, crap, this phone has an automatic answering thing…_

"Leave me alone, Brock! God, I swear this is the last time I spend the night at the pokémon center," Ash grumbled, not looking at the phone and still covered with blankets. "Can't a guy get some sleep around here? Not one wink for over twenty-four hours, Brock!"

"Hmph. Sure moody today, aren't we, Ash?"

Ash's mouth dropped open from under his blankets. "Misty!"

"That was my name last time I checked. Now get out of bed and come over here."

"Swellow," Ash whispered, making the bird pokémon look at him. "Turn off the screen, will yah?"

"Well, swellow…" _Click_, the screen was off.

Ash then fell out of bed and made it to the chair, plopping himself in it and sighing. "So Brock called for reinforcements, eh?"

"Why did you turn off your screen?"

"Just because… But you aren't answering my question."

"Yeah, he did."

Ash paused for a long time, looking Misty up and down. She hadn't really changed much. Maybe gotten a little taller and her orange-red hair a little longer. But otherwise…same old Misty.

"Ash? Ash Ketchum, you better not be falling asleep or something. Pikachu! Pikachu, shock him for me!"

Ash recoiled at the mention of Pikachu's name. "Brock really didn't tell you _anything_," he stated, surprising himself with his icy tone. He flipped on the screen so he could look Misty in the eyes. "Pikachu's _gone_, Mist."

Misty involuntarily took a step back, her eyes widening. "What—what do you mean, _gone_?"

"As in _gone_!" Ash said angrily. "It all started one morning when we were on our way to Lilycove City. But we got stopped by Team Rocket and one of their plans to catch Pikachu. But the machine they had blew up and sent us all flying. I tried to grab Pikachu… Except he slipped right through my fingers." Ash slammed a fist onto the desk that the phone was on. "Out of all the things I've screwed up in my life, this one surely takes the cake."

"Ash—"

"Oh, no, I'm not done. Pikachu survived the fall, but must have landed on his head, because he got amnesia. Team Rocket found him and began to fill his head up with phony memories, making him think that he worked for Team Rocket… Making him think that me and the others were…the enemies. And when I finally caught up with them, Pikachu was already…brainwashed, and he didn't remember me whatsoever. I know because they ordered him to Thunderbolt me—and Pikachu did it—twice!" Ash paused. "Pikachu's still with them now… I've ran into Team Rocket twice since then. The first time, I got Thundered, Thunderbolted, Iron Tailed… It just left me pretty sore and limping, but a few days after that, I decided to set out on my own to get Pikachu back. It was my obligation to him as his best friend…… I………haven't had much luck……," Ash concluded.

Misty stared at him. "I'm so sorry, Ash, this must be really hard on you…"

Ash turned away from the screen, and both teens were silent for several minutes.

"You don't look too good," Misty commented.

Ash glared, still not facing her. "I told you I ran into Team Rocket _twice_ after Pikachu first lost his memory. I only told you about the first time. Let's just say that the second time hurt more."

Misty's eyebrows shot up. "Ash, don't beat around the bush about this, 'cause I'm not gonna take that crap!"

Ash shook his head. "Same ole Misty…"

"Damn right. I want you to tell me every single thing that happened between the time Pikachu slipped through your fingers to now, and _don't_ leave out _any_ details."

Ash folded his arms across his chest. "No, I don't think so… It's not too important…" And he looked to the ceiling and stretched his arms out, yawning.

"What's that?" Misty asked, leaning closer to the screen.

"Hmm?"

"You've got a red line across your throat," Misty said worriedly.

_Where James choked me with that string…,_ Ash thought. "It's not important how I got that…"

Misty glared. "Ash…"

"Don't Ash me! Now if you don't mind, I'm _really_ tired and _really_ sore and _really_ annoyed with the people who call me." Ash's hand hovered over the disconnect button.

"Ash, don't you dare hang up on _me_," Misty shouted.

"You don't have a right to order me around…"

"I'm a Gym Leader, so you should at least show some respect."

"_What!_ I was your _friend_ before you became a Gym Leader, Misty. So don't try and pull rank on me, kay? Now if you don't _mind_, Miss Gym Leader Misty, I really think I need some sleep. And don't try to pretend to worry about me, because I'm not going to take any more of that. I'll be fine when I get Pikachu back," Ash retorted, angrily getting out of his seat and falling onto the bed.

"Ash Ketchum!" Misty yelled from the screen.

Ash threw the blankets over him and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Ash! Get your _ass_ over here!" And when Ash didn't move, Misty just got angrier. "I swear on your dead father that—"

That crossed the line. Ash sprang up and strode to the phone. "That was uncalled for, Misty Waterflower! Don't say anything about things you don't know about! And don't even think for a _second_ that you know what happened to my dad! So stow the crap. I'm going to find Pikachu, and I'm going to get him back. I don't care what I have to do. So good b—"

"Don't hang up on me." Misty's voice was harder than concrete.

Ash was so angry, he almost gave Misty the finger, but instead he gave her a look and hit the disconnect button as hard as he could. And after that, he unplugged the phone.

* * *

"Shit!" Misty swore after trying to call Ash back for the third time. She ran off to her room.

She knew what she had to do.

* * *

So who wants more? Anyone? Anyone?


	12. Chapter 12

damn it, you know what? I was going to give you the 13th chapter before this one when I realized "Hey, they're still on chapter 11... how stupid am I!"

So now you get two chapters!

(Questions will be answered in next chappy)

I don't own Pokemon

* * *

"We will be arriving in Mossdeep City in five minutes," announced a perky ferry worker girl.

Misty had her eyes closed, her eyebrows creased in distress. Beside her she had her backpack. She had gotten a first class flight to Slateport City in the Hoenn Region, and that's where she caught the ferry to Mossdeep.

She still felt a little guilty for leaving Jessica in charge of the Cerulean City gym, since the girl was clearly nervous as hell. But it was either that or close the gym. The trainers wouldn't like _that_ at all.

But since she had a friend in apparent need…

Misty had decided to meet up with Brock, May, and Max in Mossdeep before setting out after Ash. Getting off the ferry, Misty made her way through the crowd, trying to find where the pokémon center was… Because if she knew Brock, he'd make the rest of them stay there while they stayed in Mossdeep.

She finally spotted the building and trotted inside, smiling at Nurse Joy. "Is there a young man named Brock staying here?"

Nurse Joy's face instantly turned red. "Why…yes…he is… He's in room six if you want to speak with him…"

Misty nodded her thanks and went back to room six. Raising her hand, she knocked on the door lightly.

"Nurse Joy!" Brock asked excitedly from behind the door.

Misty smirked. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. "No, Brock. Sorry to disappoint you, but it's Misty."

The door flung open. "Misty! What are you doing here? Come on in!"

She did as she was told and saw May and Max sitting on a small couch, and next to May was…this green-haired boy that Misty didn't know. Misty took a seat on a small chair, and May and Max greeted her.

"And this is Drew…," Brock introduced. "He just joined up with us…"

"I see," Misty said evenly. "But the reason why I'm here is because yesterday I called Ash… And he told me the whole story—or, at least, most of the story. He still won't tell me how he got that little red line on his neck, or about one of the times that he ran into Team Rocket…… I just found out that he's not doing too well…" She frowned.

"Yeah, but what made you come here?" May asked.

"Well, I know Ash pretty well, and in all the years I've known him, he's never acted this upset. He completely blew up at me, and…" Misty sighed. "I'm just going to meet up with him after this."

"Well, you should be able to reach Youter Town by tomorrow, right? It's right near Lilycove, and if I give you directions, you should be able to find it." Brock smiled wryly. "As long as you don't get lost."

"Yeah… I'm going to find him, help him, and maybe knock some sense into him while I'm at it." Misty punched her fist into her hand. "Quite literally if I need to. No one hangs up on _me_."

Brock sighed himself and began to write directions down on a piece of paper.

"So… What _is_ it with Cinders?" Drew asked blandly. "I mean, I know he ran away, but still, I can tell from what you say that he's been acting stupider than usual."

Misty shot a glare at this new person. "Did you just call him _Cinders_!"

Drew gave her an innocent look. "Yeah."

"And did you just say that he was acting _stupider_ than usual!"

"Yeah," Drew said again.

Misty glared at him, but Drew just smirked.

"Well, I guess you were right, May, Cinders isn't _your_ boyfriend. He's so obviously _yours_." He looked to Misty.

"You take that back you little son of a bitch!" Misty cried indignantly.

Drew chuckled softly.

"God, it's like a Gary Oak remake!" Misty cried, getting up and grabbing the directions from Brock. "It was really nice seeing you again—May, Max, Brock. And it was really unpleasant meeting _you,_ green-haired-freak."

May's eyes flashed. If Misty only knew the guy beneath it all………… But still, May wasn't sure what was under there either…

Misty threw them a wave before leaving their room and setting out for the ferry again.

* * *

"I'd like to stay for two more days, please," Ash said to Nurse Joy the next day. He really wasn't feeling up to going back out there just yet. He was still tired and sore, and his cuts were giving him a pain that he really could live without.

"Okay, then. Take as much time as you want," Nurse Joy replied with a smile. And with that, Ash went back into his room.

Stripping off his shirt, Ash fell into bed once again. The last night he hadn't gotten much sleep, so of course he was still tired out of his mind. But there was always something keeping him awake. Headaches, pain from cuts, nightmares, the phone that just kept _ringing_. But the phone was taken care of, so he'd have a better chance of catching some sleep, right?

* * *

"He's in room three… Be careful, I think he's trying to get to sleep again."

"Why? He's been having trouble?"

"Oh, yes. He must have asked for an Advil four times already. I think he's also been having some trouble with nightmares… But I can't be sure…"

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." And Misty walked back to room three and stood in front of it for a while, listening. All she could hear inside was slow, steady breathing, so she assumed Ash was sleeping.

Opening the door quietly, she crept into his room.

Even though it must have been three in the afternoon, the room was nice and dark. There was a blanket covering up the one window in the room to keep out the sunlight, and everything looked so secluded…

Misty could spot a bird pokémon sleeping on a desk, in a makeshift nest made out of towels and blankets. She didn't know which pokémon it was—probably because she wasn't too familiar with the pokémon from Hoenn—but it looked like it was pretty comfortable. Misty briefly wondered if this was the Taillow that Ash had when she last saw him. Maybe it evolved? She spotted three other pokémon sleeping on the floor. One was a green grass-pokémon—or Misty assumed it was of the grass type—a small crab pokémon, and a cute turtle pokémon.

Finally, she set her eyes on the bed, where she could see a lump that apparently was Ash.

Pulling the blanket off the window, Misty let sunlight spill through the room. She then went up to the bed. "Rise and shine!" And she pulled off all his blankets and threw them on the floor, only to blush when she saw he didn't have a shirt on.

Sleeping on his side and his back was to her, Ash didn't make a move, obviously not noticing anything around him.

"Ash!" Misty called. "Wake up!"

Groaning, Ash turned over and kept his eyes squeezed shut. "Nurse Joy, I'm really, _really_ tired…"

Misty couldn't respond, because it was like someone stole her voice box. Her eyes went up and down Ash's chest, seeing all the cuts that were etched across it. Her eyes were wide, glimmering with tears. Who would hurt him like this?

"Gro gro vyle gro!" exclaimed the green pokémon, waking up and beginning to glare at Misty. "Grov grovyle gro!"

Misty stared at him for a second, wondering what to do.

"Swellow! Swell swell swellow low!" the bird pokémon said, waking up himself. He flew up and landed on Misty's outstretched forearm. "Swellow low."

"You were Ash's Taillow, right?" Misty whispered, no longer wanting to wake Ash up.

Swellow nodded. "Low swellow!"

"Phish…? Corphish?" asked the crab pokémon, waking up along with the turtle pokémon.

Swellow let loose a string of words, maybe explaining who Misty was to the other pokémon.

"What—what happened to Ash?" Misty asked quietly, looking to Ash again…and all those cuts……

"Kooooooooooaaaal!" the turtle pokémon cried, tears like a waterfall down his face.

Misty crouched down and petted the turtle pokémon on his head. "It's okay… I'm scared too… I came here to help you find Pikachu."

"Torkoal koal, Koaltor koal torkoal…," the turtle pokémon said dryly.

"What are you doing here!" came Ash's voice from the bed, and Misty turned to see him pulling a shirt over his head.

Misty stood up and put her hands on her hips. "For your information, Mr. Pokémon-Master-Wannabe, I came to help you out."

"Help me out with _what_? I don't need your help. If I needed any help, I would have brought Brock or someone." He gave her a look. "And what's the big idea barging on in here like you own the place? I was trying to sleep! I was this close"—He held his pointer finger and thumb an eighth of an inch away from each other—"to getting a full night's sleep."

"It's three in the afternoon, Ash."

"Fine, a full _afternoon's_ sleep. I was actually _able_ to get to sleep a few minutes ago, and now you woke me up… I'll probably not get any real sleep for weeks now."

"Oh, stop being so crabby." She looked him up and down, and her face softened. "I saw what was on your chest…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Those cuts. I saw them. All of them."

"Look, Misty, I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't have any cuts…," Ash let his sentence trail off when Misty gave him a classic 'don't-give-me-that-shit' look. Ash looked down, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. "They're nothing." And before Misty could press the subject, Ash gestured to his pokémon. "Oh, and this is Grovyle, Corphish, Torkoal, and Swellow—who evolved from Taillow." He pointed to each of them in turn. "Now if you'll excuse me…" He went into the bathroom and shut the door, and Misty could hear the _click_ of the lock. Soon after, there was the sound of water in the sink.

"You should really have someone look at those," Misty called to Ash through the bathroom door.

"Huh?"

"Your _cuts_. They look pretty bad."

Misty heard Ash laugh slightly. "You think I'm just going to walk up to Nurse Joy and someone and just show her these things? I don't have time for that. Besides, next time I run into Team Rocket, I'm bound to get more."

"…How did you get the ones you already have…?"

There was a long pause, and then Ash came out of the bathroom and sat on his bed. "I ran into Team Rocket the second time, and was fighting them with all my pokémon. Pikachu…made them all faint. James said something to me… And I—I got really angry… I jumped on him and strangled him…"

Misty gasped softly.

"Before I could k-kill him, Pikachu used Iron Tail on my head." Ash put his hands to his head, his headache flaring up again. "I fell unconscious. When I woke up, I was tied, my pokémon were in cages, and we were in Team Rocket's base. They were going to steal my pokémon, and just leave me there. Meowth was the first one who wanted revenge on me for all the stuff I've interfered with in the past, so he used his claws to…… Well…you know." Ash indicated his chest. "But I did eventually get away……"

"Take off your shirt," Misty ordered.

Ash cocked his head to one side, confused. "What?"

"Take off your shirt. I'm bandaging up those cuts whether you like it or not. You can't just _leave_ them unattended."

"I can, and I will."

"Tough." And Misty grabbed some bandages and antiseptic from the bathroom and came back up to Ash, once again telling him to take off his shirt.

Ash scowled and did as he was told.

Wetting a paper towel in antiseptic, Misty began to clean the cuts. She pressed a little hard to get the dirt out, and she knew that Ash's cuts must be hurting like crazy. But when she looked up at him, he was looking away, appearing deep in thought.

Misty inwardly shrugged and put on more antiseptic. This time he flinched, but didn't say anything. When she was satisfied with her work, she began to put on the bandages.

"Those aren't needed, you know," Ash said absentmindedly.

"Yes, they are."

"They're just going to get sliced through. But this time, I'm not going to stop… Not going to screw up _again._" Ash yawned. "I shouldn't have—" His eyelids drooped.

Misty looked up to him again, her job finished. "Get to sleep."

Those three words were like a coffee bullet to Ash. He sprang up. "What! No way! I've got to pack…" He put his shirt back on, returned his pokémon to their pokéballs, put the pokéballs in his backpack, and began to pick up the rest of his stuff.

"Where do you think you're going?" Misty asked.

"I'm going to Mossdeep City. Tomorrow. When I was with Team Rocket, I overheard them talking about going there to steal more pokémon. Ironic, really. If this whole ordeal hadn't happened, I'd already be in Mossdeep, probably battling for my seventh badge right now…"

"I'm coming with you."

Ash sighed. "Listen, Misty, I know you want to help, but you _can't_. This is _my_ problem. Pikachu is _my_ pokémon. I don't want you or your pokémon getting hurt, so why don't you just go back to Cerulean? I'll call you when this is resolved."

Misty glared at him. "No way, Ash. I'm staying with you, and my pokémon and I are quite capable of taking care of _ourselves._ I very much doubt that even your Pikachu can beat _my_ Gyarados."

"As much as I'd like to say 'likewise', I know Pikachu, and he's pretty powerful."

"Not strong enough to beat Gyarados."

"Take it from someone who _knows_, Pikachu's attacks hurt like _hell_. He knows _Thunder. _And when you get hit with _Thunder_, it's like… It makes you think like you're going to die. It hurts so bad you wish you _would_ die."

Misty was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, Ash," she finally said.

"Why? I was just telling the truth. I don't want you hurt."

"Fine, I won't get hurt. But I _am_ coming with you."

Ash knew better than to argue with Misty when she had _that_ kind of tone of voice. He shrugged inwardly, trying to tell the part of him that was yelling 'do it solo' that it was okay to bring her along.

_I swear, if she gets hurt……… I'll never forgive myself…

* * *

_

go to the next chapter, now, if you wish


	13. Chapter 13

Answers, answers, answers...

Okay. First, for Cookies! - The reason Ash didn't grab some more pokemon was because he was so caught up with trying to get Pikachu back he's been hopping around and not thinking straight. (It's not a thing that Ash does well, if you know what i mean.)

Yes, and as SpiritAnime kindly suggested that i bump up the rating if i'm going to kill someone. my answer to that is that it's not going to be something really gory or anything... I try to think of it as a PG-13 rated movie. Something that I can imagine being there is something I would rate T. But if anyone else feels this way, please message me or something.

And THANK YOU, natasha fletcher, for saying i'm a talented writer. And THANK YOU everyone else! (cookies all around)

I STILL don't own pokemon. get over it. Ah, what angst everyone would go through if i did... (starry eyes)

* * *

Ash stretched an arm out to point to a small gathering of people around a hot air balloon the next afternoon. "They're over there."

"How do you know?" Misty asked.

Ash gave her a look that said, 'why-do-you-even-bother-asking-that?'. "Because I _know," _he replied. "Let's go."

They were about thirty or so feet away from the crowd when they heard some familiar voices…

"Just let them go easily, or we'll blast you to the high heavens!" shouted James.

"You're not just going to _get away_ with all these people's pokémon!" Ash heard May's voice cry out.

"Oh really? I'd like to see you _try_ to stop us!" Jessie said haughtily.

Ash grabbed Misty's forearm and dragged her toward the scene, intending to put a stop to it himself.

"If you even try to get your pokémon out of the net, we'll have Pikachu Thunderbolt them!" James warned.

Ash flinched but still made his way through the crowd, grabbing a pokéball from his backpack.

"We're going to get those pokémon back, no matter what!" That was Max… "You don't have all the pokémon! We can still stop you!"

"Yeah! Beautifly, I choose you!" There was a sound of an opening pokéball, and the call of an all-too-familiar butterfly pokémon.

"No," Ash muttered, pushing through the last of the people and stepping in front of Brock, May, and Max. He shepherded Misty behind him as well and threw his own pokéball, letting out Grovyle. He glanced back at his friends. "No offense, guys, but stay the hell out of this."

"Ash?" Brock inquired curiously.

Ash ignored him and called out, "Grovyle, use Leaf Blade to break through the rope holding the net!"

Grovyle jumped up and did as he was told, making the net fall apart, dozens of pokémon spilling onto the crowd, where their owners caught them happily.

"Hey! Those are _our _stolen pokémon!" James yelled. To Ash, he said, "You just never learn, do you?"

There was a chorus of 'thanks, kid,' before the crowd of people began to return their pokémon to their pokéballs, and quickly left the scene, leaving only Ash and his friends…and Drew?

"I'd say it's time to make them blast off again," May hissed, and she called out to her Beautifly again. "Use Silver Wind, Beautifly!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Ash wished he could shove them back in there. _Pikachu_ was on that balloon…

"Pikachu, use Thunder!" Jessie ordered, pointing at Beautifly.

"Piiikaaaa…CHUUUU!" A stream of electricity leapt off Pikachu and struck Beautifly, who fell to the ground. May ran to her pokémon, who looked pretty bad.

Ash's eyes flashed with anger. "Grovyle, use—"

"I wouldn't do that," Jessie advised. "You know you don't want to hurt Pikachu. Now just let us leave. You should consider yourself lucky, because we're letting you get off easy. We wouldn't want a replay of last time, would we, twerp? Except this time it'd be worse… Oh, so much worse…"

"What's she talking about, Ash?" Brock whispered.

Ash ignored Brock again and saw Drew look over to May, who looked devastated. She was kneeling over her Beautifly, trying to carefully help him up and get him to the pokémon center.

Ash felt a wave of guilt. It was _Pikachu_ who did that……… His fault…

"Roselia, come on out!" Drew suddenly cried, throwing his pokéball. "Use Solar Beam on that balloon!"

"Rosa…" Roselia began to take in sunlight.

"What do you think you're _doing?_!" Ash hissed.

"Someone's got to take action," Drew answered. "And I seriously doubt that _you_ would be the one to do it."

"ROSELIIIIA!" A beam of light shot through the air and punctured Team Rocket's balloon, sending it flying.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again………"

Ash's eyes flashed and he turned away from the others and walked a few steps, returning Grovyle to his pokéball.

"Is he alright, May?" Max asked his sister worriedly.

"No." May's voice plainly showed that she was on the verge of crying. "I need to get him to a pokémon center right away."

"Here, let me help," Drew said gently, helping May pick up the weak Beautifly.

May and Drew slowly stood up and made their way to the pokémon center, Brock and Max right behind them, Misty behind _them_, and Ash barely trailing them about twenty feet back.

_All my fault,_ Ash thought. _Pikachu is my pokémon. I'm responsible for him. If I had caught him. No. Just a screw up. I'm just a screw up. Never get anything right… Now Beautifly is in terrible shape because of me…_ His head began to pound once again. He looked ahead to the others. They were all focused on getting Beautifly to the pokémon center. They wouldn't even notice if he were to just slip away…… It's not like he wanted to stay around them anyway. It's not like they wanted him to stay anywhere. _Yeah, I bet May's cursing me off mentally right now._

_But where would I go? Where would Team Rocket go? Well, since this is an island, and that Solar Beam put a pretty big hole in their balloon… They'll probably stay here for a while… I did hear them say something about a secret base here. Which really isn't a surprise, since they have a base everywhere… All I got to do is find it…_

Ash looked ahead to the others again, and when he saw them not taking notice to him at all. "Sorry," he whispered, before sneaking away.

* * *

"He was really badly hurt… Please help him, Nurse Joy, please…," May pleaded.

"I'll do my best," Nurse Joy replied, taking Beautifly into the back.

May began to wring her hands. "What if he doesn't make it? I can't imagine things without Beautifly……" She began to pace back and forth.

"It's okay, May," Drew said soothingly. "Take a deep breath and calm down… Beautifly will be alright… He's a fighter…" And he led May to a seat and made her sit down before seating himself.

Brock, Misty, and Max were already seated, waiting for more news on Beautifly.

Everyone was absorbed in their own thoughts when Brock suddenly began to look around. "Where's Ash?" he asked no one in particular.

Misty quickly looked around. "Oh, _great_…" She sighed deeply. "He's……gone… Why? Why, Brock?"

"I don't know, Mist. A lot's been going on with him. I can't tell you what exactly, because I don't know myself, but… He'll come to his senses soon enough," Brock answered.

"He's injured," Misty breathed.

"But I thought that the cut on his leg got all healed up," Max commented.

"I think it is too, but he's got…" Misty closed her eyes, a flash of Ash's cut-covered chest came to mind. "So many…"

Misty's tone of voice worried Brock. "So many what? Did he get hurt again?"

Misty lowered her voice to barely a whisper. "So many cuts. Deep ones. On his chest. He apparently ran into Team Rocket awhile ago…and…they wanted revenge… What if they… What if he…"

"Settle down, Mist…"

"No, I will not settle down, Brock. If you had _seen_ all the cuts, you would have been seriously worried too." She shuddered. "What if Team Rocket got their hands on him again? What if he couldn't escape like last time? What if—"

"May? Will you please come here?" Nurse Joy said, coming from the back room.

May shook a little and looked to Drew. "Come with me?"

"Of course." And the two teens went to see Nurse Joy at her desk.

* * *

Ash quickly closed the door behind him, happy to finally be alone. He had rented a room in a motel not too far away from the pokémon center, using a little of the money he had. He just hoped the others wouldn't think of looking here…

He sighed. _I'll call the others a message tomorrow. Just so they know that I'm gone. Like they noticed already…

* * *

_

"She—she doesn't know if he's going to make it…," May said, tears glimmering in her eyes. "Beautifly can't die…he can't!"

Drew looked into her eyes and put both of his hands on her shoulders. "May, listen to me."

May looked up at him.

"Beautifly is going to be okay. You don't have to worry."

"But what if—"

"You've just got to believe that he'll be fine. You've got to be there for him."

"Drew's right, May. You've just got to calm down," Brock added.

"He's not going to die from just one attack anyway," Max commented, trying to cheer May up.

"But that was _Thunder_. From _Pikachu_. From _Ash's_ Pikachu," May choked out.

"I think you're overestimating that Pikachu, May. He may be strong, but he's not all _that_," Drew said. "There is no way that one little attack from one little Pikachu could kill someone."

Max nodded. "Yeah, I mean, Ash survived Thunder, right?"

Misty shuddered. _"And when you get hit with Thunder, it's like… It makes you think like you're going to die. It hurts so bad you wish you would die."_

"That's completely different, Max! Ash is a human, Beautifly is a pokémon. Beautifly is part _flying_ type. Beautifly is a lot smaller than Ash…," May protested. "We don't see Ash in a hospital, now do we? See? Completely different." She took a few deep breaths and sat down on the couch.

"You should get some rest," Drew advised, sitting next to May.

"No…I couldn't…What if Beautifly…"

"Then just rest your eyes. I'll wake you up if you fall asleep."

_Drew…I'm so glad…so glad you're here with me…helping me…,_ May thought as she closed her eyes, telling herself that she was only going to rest her eyes, like Drew said…

* * *

"Umm… Brock… A little help here?" Misty whispered a few hours later, trying to rescue herself from a sleeping Max that had nestled himself on her arm.

Brock chuckled and helped Misty out, leaving Max to lie down on one half of the couch.

Misty shifted next to Brock. "Thanks."

"No problem." Brock smiled as he looked to the other couch. "Those two both deny it so much…" He indicated Drew and May. May had fallen asleep with her head on Drew's shoulder, and Drew was asleep as well. "They are in love, I know it."

Misty smiled tightly. "Apparently." She looked away from him.

"You should be getting some rest too, Misty," Brock said. "You can't just sit here worrying about Ash. He's fine."

"How do you know? He just took off! He took off when his friend's pokémon's life was in danger! That is _not_ Ash. He didn't even let us know that he was leaving…"

"Don't worry. He's probably still on the island… Once Beautifly is up on both wings again, we'll go out and look for him okay?"

Misty nodded silently and finally found herself drifting off…

* * *

Ash bolted up, breathing heavily. Running a hand through his hair, he mentally told himself to calm down…it was just another nightmare…

He looked at the clock. It read seven AM. _Well, considering that I only woke up four times last night, that's pretty good,_ Ash thought wryly.

Swinging his feet over the edge of his bed, Ash stood up and began to change his clothes. When he was finished, he stared at the phone for a long time.

_I have to call them…,_ he thought. _At least to see if Beautifly is okay…_ He slowly sat down in the chair and ran a hand through his hair again and began to dial a number…

* * *

Okay...here it is... I'm so glad! Do you know why? Because in just a few chapters, out pops my FAVORITE part! (YAY!) (More like favorite story-arch)

Who wants to get there sooner? The more reviews, the sooner it comes!


	14. Chapter 14

Hey, everyone!

And my answer to Angelpixe: I'm not saying he's going to die, and I'm not saying he isn't. And sorry, I can't NOT kill anyone, because the damage has already done. (It was done mid-August of last year, I think)

Okay, i don't own pokemon. Again.

* * *

When May wrapped her arms around him and began to cry, Drew really didn't know what to do. He hesitantly held her in his arms and let her stay there.

"He's alright, he's alright," May cried happily. Suddenly realizing what she was doing, she stepped back and sweat dropped. "Oh… I'm sorry, Drew."

"It's…okay…"

Nurse Joy then came out of the back once again, smiling.

"When can he come out, Nurse Joy?" May asked coming up to her.

"In a few hours. I'm just here to tell you that there's someone calling for you, Max, Brock, and Misty. The phone is in the room at the end of the hall." And Nurse Joy left again.

Misty instantly began trotting down the hall, Brock, Max, and May following. They saw the screen, which was showing a familiar raven-haired boy.

Misty let out a burst of anger. "Ash Ketchum, where have you been! You think you can just sneak away, scot-free?"

"So you did notice I was gone," Ash said softly, looking down at the ground.

"Damn straight! You can't just run off! _Especially_ right after _your_ pokémon injured your friend's pokémon almost to _death_!"

Ash flinched back, bowing his head lower, and asked, "Then Beautifly is okay…?"

"Yes," May said quickly and happily.

"I'm so sorry, May. This is all my fault. I…I can't put it into words about how much I screwed up, but…… I'm really glad Beautifly is okay… I only really called to—to just let you know that…that I'm okay, and you don't have to worry that I'm 'missing'."

"You think we were worried about _you_ when May's pokémon was in a life-threatening situation!" Misty shouted.

"…I know, I know…… I really shouldn't have… I mean… No, I knew you weren't going to worry about me…… I'm sorry… I'm sorry for everything… I'm sorry for existing…"

Max pushed his way through the others. "I don't get you, Ash. I know you lost Pikachu, and I know you're upset about it, but you're acting like a completely different person. The Ash I knew would just be determined to get Pikachu back, and not waste his time being depressed."

"And it's not your fault for what happened to Beautifly," May added.

Ash looked up. "You don't understand, you guys. You don't. And Max, I _am_ determined to get Pikachu back. I'm not depressed. I'm not wasting my time. It _is_ my fault about what happened to Beautifly. I'm sorry for wasting your time, though." His eyebrows creased. "I really shouldn't have gotten you guys screwed into this, so don't try to find me……" He hung up.

"Misty," Brock started. "Why did you yell at him! You're just making him more upset, you know! I know you've got an uncontrollable temper, but come _on_."

Misty glared at him. "My temper is perfectly fine, thank you. But since you asked…" She whacked him upside the head.

May sighed and led the others out of the back room. "I'm sorry, everyone, but Ash can be a pain in the ass sometimes. He frustrates me."

"Really?" Misty asked sarcastically. "He can be so _stupid!"_

"Oh, so it was _Cinders_ on the phone. What'd he have to say?" asked Drew.

Misty set her jaw. "Nothing much."

"Would have expected as much. The kid is clearly…insecure," Drew replied, choosing his words carefully. He shrugged. "I don't know why you hang out with him."

Brock shook his head. "I really thought you'd help, Mist. I thought Ash would listen to _you_. If this chaos goes on for much longer, it'll be time to call in the _real_ guns…"

"What do you mean?" May inquired.

"If you hadn't noticed, _I'm_ the oldest one here, _I'm_ responsible for everything. If I 'lost' you or your brother, Caroline would _kill_ me. Ash is gone. I don't know where he is. He's in terrible shape. If this doesn't end soon, Delia will find out, and then she'll kill me for letting this happen." Brock sighed. "Not that I'm worried about him as a friend."

"We'll find him, though," Max pointed out. "Wherever Team Rocket goes, Ash is sure to follow. Man, he'll be a pain in the neck for them."

"Not likely," Drew commented dryly. "If I get this straight, these 'Team Rocket' people have Cinders's Pikachu. He'll be quite hesitant with attacking them. Leaving them to get _rid_ of their pain in the neck."

Misty shuddered, suddenly regretting the words she had spoken to Ash. Who knew what kind of trouble he would get into without her at his side?

* * *

Ash pounded the ground with his fist angrily. _They got away again! _It was only a few hours ago when he had finally found where Team Rocket was hiding, but by the time he began to confront them, they had already repaired their balloon and were floating away. They didn't want him to think that they were leaving in a hurry, so they gave him a 'going away present'—in other words, another Pikachu Thunderbolt.

Ash thought he was literally going to fall apart. He had way too many pokémon attacks used on him that week.

He hurried up to the first person he saw—a young woman—and asked her, "Do you know anywhere where I can get quick transport to somewhere far away?"

The woman looked at him strangely. "Well…… You could go to the gym here. I'm pretty sure there's an Alakazam that can Teleport you to wherever you need to go…"

"Thanks." And Ash made his way to the big building that was the gym. _Heh. So I really am going to the Mossdeep City gym… Talk about ironic…_

He had learned that Team Rocket were going to go to Petalburg City next… And since that was such a long way away, Ash needed a quicker way to get there. He knew that Team Rocket would probably be there the day after tomorrow, and even if their hot air balloon looked slow, appearances can be deceiving…

He stopped in front of the building, spotting a young man with long raven-colored hair which was pulled back into a bun. He was dressed in a blue komodo. Ash went up to him. "Do you know where the Mossdeep City Gym Leader is?"

"Of course. He's me. But if you're a challenger, you're going to have to wait, because my sister—"

"No, I'm not a challenger. I was told that there was an Alakazam here that could Teleport me somewhere? I really need it, it's an emergency."

The young man cocked an eyebrow. "I see. Well, Alakazam is with my sister, and my sister is visiting the pokémon center. She should be back soon though. How about you come back tomorrow and…"

Ash sighed. "Okay…"

"Just ask for Tate, okay?"

Ash nodded and walked away.

Tate watched after him for a second before turning back himself.

* * *

"Oh, Nurse Joy, you are truly a master at your work! Your sheer skill matches your sheer beauty!" Brock said, taking the hand of Nurse Joy and looking deep into her eyes.

In line behind him, a young woman with raven-colored hair pulled back into a bun waited impatiently.

Misty stretched out a hand and grabbed Brock by the ear. "Not now, lover boy. Can't you see someone's waiting to get by?" She looked to the young woman. "I'm sorry. Brock has a problem…"

The young woman's eyebrows rose. "And, if I'm not mistaken, you're Misty? The Cerulean City Gym Leader?"

Misty smiled tightly. "Yeah."

The young woman laughed a little. "I hear you're pretty good. You'll have to battle us someday."

"Us?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Liza. My twin brother Tate and I are the Gym Leaders here." Liza shrugged. "It might sound weird that we're both Gym Leaders, but that's just the way it worked out." She looked at Misty again and narrowed her eyes. "You know, you're a _long_ way from Kanto. Shouldn't you be at your gym?"

Misty sighed. "Yeah, I should. But my friend……needed my help. It's kind of serious…"

"Not this Brock guy?"

It was Misty's turn to laugh. "No, not him. It's a little more complicated than that." She paused. "If what happened to my friend hadn't happened, he'd probably be challenging you—you and your brother—right now."

"The challenger type, eh? Well, I'll keep an eye out for him, because he'll eventually come."

Misty smiled again politely and didn't say anything.

Liza grabbed some pokéballs from Nurse Joy. "Come and visit sometime, Misty." And she left.

* * *

The next chappy is the best. review, please


	15. Chapter 15

HEY.

quick chappy here, because I have bad news.

I'm going on vacation for two weeks, and there is no internet for miles around. So no updates for two weeks. (Sorry, everyone! Especially you, digiboi...oh jeez...)

I don't own pokemon, but this chappy's a doozie for me. (Doozie?)

* * *

The next afternoon, Ash rushed to the Mossdeep gym once again. Spotting Tate just inside, he quickly went through and came up to him.

"Ah, it's you again…" Tate paused. "You never did tell me your name."

"Ash. Ash Ketchum. And is it safe to assume that your sister got back yesterday?"

"Yes, I did." And a young woman that looked almost exactly like Tate came toward them. "I'm Liza."

"I told Liza about you situation, and—"

"—we'll be glad to help you," Liza finished. "Now, where—"

"—do you want to go?"

"Petalburg City, please. I don't care where you drop me. It can be in a dumpster for all I care. I just need to get there," Ash replied.

Tate and Liza shared a long look before saying, "Okay, then," in unison. Liza took out a pokéball and let out Alakazam.

"Just take Alakazam's hand, and then stay very still," Tate ordered. He looked to Alakazam. "We'd like you to Teleport Ash to Petalburg City, please." He looked to Ash. "If you want to come back here, just give us a call, okay?"

"Ala." Alakazam held out his hand.

Ash hesitantly held it and tried his best to stay still.

"Goodbye, Ash. Come back and visit sometime, okay?" The twins said together.

And after that, Ash saw a flash of white, and suddenly he dropped—quite literally—in front of the Petalburg Gym. Groaning but getting up, Ash then heard a loud _boom_ in the distance.

Raising his eyebrows, Ash began to run to the sound.

He must have run for a mile before he saw a lot of smoke, and heard a scream of, "Give me back my pokémon!"

And there was another _boom_ and a scream in pain.

Ash poured on the speed and finally made it up to where there was an all-too-familiar hot air balloon floating a few feet up in the air. Both Jessie and James had a grenade in one of their hands, and Ash could spot a half a dozen small craters from where the grenades hit.

He ran over to the person who was screaming. She was covered in blood and unconscious. He could spot just a few other people who were also injured.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on that Sealeo!" Jessie called out, and Ash heard Pikachu discharge energy. "Thank you for kindly donating your pokémon to Team Rocket," Jessie said in a singsong voice.

The hot air balloon was getting quite ahead of Ash, and his lungs were burning so hard he thought they were going to burst. But he just kept on running…

"I thought I told you crooks never to come back!" boomed a voice.

Ash knew that voice.

"Slaking, I choose you!" said the voice, apparently letting out a pokémon.

Ash finally skidded to a stop about twenty feet away from where Team Rocket was floating, which was about ten feet away from Norman, the Petalburg Gym Leader, the father of May and Max.

"Seviper, Dustox, help me out!"

"Cacnea, come on out!" Team Rocket threw the pokéballs on the ground, right in front of Slaking.

"Slaking, use Focus Punch on Seviper!" yelled Norman.

"Seviper, dodge. Dustox, Pysbeam!"

"Pin Missile, Cacnea!"

Seviper narrowly dodged Slaking's attack, making the lazy pokémon pummel the ground with his Focus Punch attack. That opened him up for a direct hit from both Dustox and Cacnea. Slaking was a little hurt from the attacks, but being such a powerful pokémon, he had a great advantage over the weak pokémon of Team Rocket. Unless…

"Seviper, Poison Tail! Dustox, Tackle!"

"Cacnea, Needle Arm! And Pikachu… Use Thunder!"

Ash heard a slight, "Huh?" from Norman, who was obviously wondering where Team Rocket got a Pikachu.

That one moment of surprise let in all the attacks from Team Rocket, making Slaking faint.

Norman growled deeply. "You're going to pay for all those people you hurt, and all those pokémon you stole!"

Jessie laughed. "I don't think so. How can you stop us if you don't have any pokémon?"

Norman clenched his fist. He apparently hadn't expected Team Rocket coming, and hadn't had any other pokémon on him. But luckily, Ash _did_.

"Torkoal, I choose _you_!" Ash threw his own pokéball, going unnoticed by the others. "Use Overheat on Team Rocket's pokémon!" And by saying 'Team Rocket's pokémon', Torkoal knew Ash meant everyone except for Pikachu.

"Koal…" Torkoal charged up energy, and then let it all out in a fiery streak that was so hot it put hell to shame.

All three of Team Rocket's pokémon got hit head on, and, since they didn't even expect an attack, fainted.

A glaring Jessie and James turned to stare at Ash.

"You again!" they screamed in unison.

"Ash?" Norman asked, confused.

"How'd you get here so fast, twerp?" Jessie asked.

"And don't you have better things to do that follow us around! You _lost_, get over it!" James added. "You should know by now that we're not afraid to hurt you." He pulled the pin out of the grenade in his hand. "Bye, bye, twerp." He tossed it down.

Ash watched the egg-sized bomb fall toward him, and it seemed like everything was going in slow motion. He quickly returned Torkoal to his pokéball and leapt as far as he could. He couldn't even land before the grenade blew up and threw him several feet.

Ash tried his best to push himself up, but it just wasn't enough. He fell back down to the ground in pain.

"Ash, watch out!" Normal yelled.

Ash knew what was coming, and tried once again to get up. Nothing…

_BOOM!_

The grenade narrowly missed, and Ash got thrown several more feet. He felt like his body was on fire, like his body was in so much pain, it wasn't real…

"Crap! That was our last grenade!" It sounded like Jessie was screaming in his ear. "Let's take the pokémon and go, James!"

"Got it!"

"You two aren't getting away!" Norman exclaimed loudly.

"It's not like you can stop us, _Norman!_" Meowth proclaimed.

That was that last thing Ash heard. He prayed for unconsciousness. The pain was just too much for him. There was something unbelievably hot in his mouth. It tasted so bad… Coughing the hot liquid up, Ash prayed again. Prayed again for the darkness…

His wish was granted, and Ash could hear someone yelling right before the darkness enveloped him.

* * *

"It's a commercial," Brock stated disappointedly, grabbing the remote. "I hate that, they always have commercials that last, like, ten minutes!"

May smiled. This was the life. Her, Drew, Misty, Brock, and Max were all watching a movie. A movie with action and adventure, romance and angst. It fit everyone's style. The only problem being, the commercials were so long. And if only Ash was there too…

Brock sighed and began to flip around.

May sat back and watched the channels as Brock flipped, seeing some pictures from one TV show to the next, nothing really catching her eye until…

"Brock! Stop!" she said, and Brock froze in mid-flip, pausing on a channel that was showing the news.

The news reporter came on the screen, not looking so good. "I'm Jenny Getsitall and we're here in Petalburg City. Just a few minutes ago, this little town was hit with a fierce attack. Apparently, two people came into town and began to steal pokémon—just like that! And when people began to object, the culprits unleashed at least a dozen grenades from what we can tell! One killed, twelve injured. The culprits made off with several pokémon as well." Jenny paused, pulling a strand of pure red hair from her face. "When we come back, we are going to talk to Norman, the Gym Leader here, and the only person who went at these people and didn't get hurt!"

And the commercials commenced.

May just sat there, her mouth wide open.

"May! You don't think those guys got Mommy, do you?" Max asked fearfully. "Or…or…" He began to breathe heavily.

"I—I don't know Max… I…I…guess we have to wait and see what they say."

"Don't worry, you guys…," Brock tried to assure them, but inside, he was white with worry, and he knew all the others were too.

"We're back with Norman!" And Jenny's face filled the screen again, but this time, she was accompanied by the familiar face of Norman. "Tell us, Norman, what exactly happened?"

"Well, I was just out training my Slaking, when I heard screaming, and a loud explosion. So naturally, I fled toward the scene. By the time I got there, I could see that several people were injured. Most unconscious, some still trying to get their pokémon back. I eventually caught up and confronted…them…" Norman bowed his head and sighed sadly. "I only had Slaking with me. _They_ had four pokémon, and one was very powerful. They beat my Slaking."

Jenny leaned in closer. "If they beat your Slaking, then how come you got away so easily? Why didn't they just throw grenades at you?"

Norman sighed sadly again. "A…young man…came, and out of the blue, he attacked their pokémon with his own and fainted three of them. They threw their last two grenades at _him_, before fleeing the scene, dozens of pokémon in tow. Including my Slaking."

"And what happened to this young man? Is he alright?"

"He… I don't know, exactly. He's in pretty bad shape. Found him coughing up a ton of blood. And since our little hospital here is overwhelmed with the other ten or so people who got injured, my wife and I are taking care of him."

Jenny Getsitall looked straight at the camera. "That's touching, everyone. For the young man who saved Norman's life; now Norman strives to save his. I'm Jenny Getsitall, and I'm the one with number one news on the Petalburg Disaster. Signing off."

Tears were streaming down May's face now. "We've got to go back to Petalburg!" she cried.

"I can get us a helicopter," Misty said seriously. "I'll call now."

"Thank you, Misty," May sobbed, not even noticing as Drew held her close.

* * *

Caroline hugged Norman tight. "You don't think the kids were with Ash too, do you, dear? What if they're hurt? Out there all alone… In pain…"

"I—I don't think they are…"

"You don't know that! My babies……… What if they got—got ki—"

"Caroline, don't say that! I bet they're just fine…"

Caroline cried hard into Norman's chest. "I can't imagine life without them, Norman. Even if they are gone all the time."

Norman rested his chin on the top of her head and rubbed her back soothingly. "I know. I feel the same way. Maybe if Ash wakes up… He can tell us what happened."

Caroline pulled away from him and frowned. "About him…"

"What? What's wrong with him?"

"Well, he's terribly injured from today, but… There are older cuts that were all over his chest that looked pretty bad. He has a few burns, some new, some old. He also has this huge, nasty-looking scar down his left leg. Also recent. Norman, he's been hurt pretty bad before this." Caroline shuddered.

Norman's mouth fell open in worry. "Let me see him…"

Caroline nodded and led him into the living room, where Ash lay, covered in blankets and a wet washcloth on his forehead. He was still unconscious.

"I haven't gotten to bandage him yet, so if you could do that, it'd be a real help," Caroline said softly, still feeling shaken by seeing a young man so bloody. "I just can't stand…the sight of…the sight of…" Her sentence trailed off as her eyes watered.

Norman shot her an 'it's-okay' look. He pulled up the upper part of Ash's blanket.

"Oh, God." The words slipped from his mouth as he gazed upon the young man's chest. "Caroline, please, something to clean these cuts, some burn cream, and maybe some pain killers for when he wakes up."

Caroline nodded and quickly left the room.

Norman scratched the back of his head. "God, Ash, God." He was silent for a moment, just waiting for his wife to return, when he noticed something. _Where's Pikachu! Ash will be devastated if… Wait. Team Rocket had a Pikachu… No, it couldn't be… pokémon don't just turn on their trainers like that. Especially not Ash's Pikachu…_

Norman took the supplies from Caroline and began his work, pulling himself out of his thoughtfulness and telling himself that he needed to focus on bandaging up Ash's injuries.

Taking the wet towel, Norman first cleaned off all the blood on Ash's face. Maybe then he could recognize the kid underneath it all.

It took quite a while to just clean the excess blood off of Ash, and Norman was worried that he lost too much blood. But since Ash's breathing was regular, and he looked a little better, Norman thought that he didn't have to rush Ash to the emergency room just yet. Besides, every room in the small hospital down the street was an emergency room now.

_Damn, this kid is amazingly good at enduring things,_ Norman thought wryly, beginning to bandage the teenager. _It's a wonder he's not…dead…_

"Here, honey," Caroline said, holding out some clean clothes. "I found these in Ash's backpack. They didn't look like they were destroyed too much…" And she held up some pokéballs. "And here are his pokémon."

Norman nodded his thanks and took the clothes and the pokéballs. He then looked once again at Ash. _Hang in there, kid…_

_

* * *

_

yay! Norman and Caroline are really fun to write for some strange reason... well, more in two weeks! I hope you guys survive!

-Kaisa


	16. Chapter 16

I am finally BACK FROM VACATION! And I bring you another chapter for your reading goodness! This chapter is not as long as some of the others, butit's not the shortest...

I do not, repeat, do not own pokemon. If only, if only...

* * *

"The day after tomorrow!" May asked loudly, not caring if she woke anyone up at the late hour.

Misty sighed. "Yes, we should be there the day after tomorrow. The guy will be here tomorrow. He says he's been having trouble with the helicopter, and he needs to get a part for it."

May looked down. "Sorry, Misty. I'm just worried… I mean, I know Kenny's okay, because he called me and Max just last week and told us he was taking a 'long needed vacation', but still. One person got _killed_. Twelve got _injured_." She shuddered. "And right in my hometown, too."

Misty patted May on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We'll be there soon enough."

"Do you think Ash knows?" May asked, a glare instantly coming to her face as anger bubbled up inside her. "Or maybe he does know, and he just doesn't care? He doesn't care about what happens to us or Petalburg. All he cares about is that…that stupid…that stupid _rat_."

Misty involuntarily took a step back. "May…"

"He should be _here_, Misty! He's my friend! Last time I checked, friends help each other in times like these. Well, I guess he doesn't care. Selfish little…"

"May, calm down. You're upset… You don't really mean that about Ash."

"Oh yes I do! And nothing he can say will ever take that back!" And May stormed off to wait impatiently for the helicopter.

Misty looked up to the ceiling, wondering herself where Ash was. Probably off taking down Team Rocket somewhere… She sighed and shook her head. Ash never learned. He just couldn't do things like that alone…

* * *

Pain, oh terrible white-hot pain. That was the first thing Ash noticed when he came to. He opened his eyes very slowly, but nothing changed. It was pitch dark.

_What…? Where am I? I thought—I thought…_ Ash strived to get into a sitting position, and maybe figure out where he was. But instead of going as he planned, his arms collapsed beneath him in pain, and he slipped off something and fell hard on something even _harder_ than what he was laying on seconds before.

The fall just made pain shoot up and down Ash's body, and he once again prayed for them to stop… His head swimming, he began to drift off into the darkness again…

But before he had the chance, light filled the whole room, making Ash's headache blow up to a whole new level.

He squinted at the sudden light and groaned. He realized he was in a small room… He had fallen off a couch.

Ash was so busy trying to stop the pain, he didn't even notice that someone was talking to him.

"Ash? Ash?"

Ash opened his eyes again to find Norman's face over him. Ash forced a small, bitter smile.

"Let me help you…" And Norman gathered Ash in his hands and carefully placed him on the couch again.

Ash winced, closing his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Norman asked worriedly.

Ash looked at him again. "Just peachy," he said in a hoarse voice. "I only feel like I got run over by a freight train."

Norman gave him a serious look. "Why'd you go in and help like that? You knew they had grenades. You could have let me take them."

Ash snorted softly. "Sorry, Norman, but…watching something like that and not doing anything is…against my nature."

"So you did something stupid. Something so stupid, it almost got you killed."

Ash's eyes flashed. "Listen, don't lecture me. You're not my father, so you can't tell me…whose life to save and…whose to throw away." He suddenly groaned again and brought his hands to his head.

"Settle down, Ash. You're just putting yourself through more pain," Norman advised. After a second, he hesitantly asked, "Uh…where are my kids?"

"Mossdeep City," Ash instantly answered. "May's there for her next contest. So _no_, they…weren't here when Team Rocket attacked. Don't worry."

Norman exhaled deeply. "Okay. And, Ash? You can stay here until you get…better."

Ash nodded slowly. "Yeah…thanks. But I'm sure I'll be ready to go…the day after tomorrow."

Norman's mouth dropped open. "No way, you're way too injured to be good enough to travel the day after tomorrow!"

"I'm sorry, but I've got work to do. I can't just…sit here and let the trail get cold. I mean, I'm really grateful…for you and your wife letting me stay here, but the truth is…" Ash let his sentence trail off. "It's just a very, very, long story."

"You've got forty-eight hours." Norman paused for a long time, watching the evasive look on Ash's face, something in his eyes showing a deep sadness that Norman couldn't understand. "Ash, when Caroline and I were bandaging you, we noticed—" Norman cut himself off when he saw that Ash had already fallen back asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Norman and Caroline went downstairs to get their breakfast, and make some for Ash as well. Caroline was a lot more laid back since Norman told her what Ash had said the last night. She was almost faint with relief when she heard that May and Max were no where near Petalburg when the "Petalburg Disaster" happened.

Caroline and Norman both stopped in their tracks when they saw the kitchen. More accurately, the person _in_ the kitchen.

There was Ash, awkwardly eating a small bowl of cereal.

Caroline went up to him. "Oh, Ash, what did you do?"

Ash's eyes went wide. "I'm sorry," he said instantly, as if he had done something terribly wrong—again. "I just woke up early, and I was kind of hungry, so I thought you guys wouldn't mind if I made myself some breakfast. I can…clean up any mess I made…" And he tried to get up by pushing on the table with his hand, but it was taking a while.

Caroline pushed him back into the chair. "_I'm _sorry, Ash, but you don't have to do anything! I was going to make you breakfast myself. You need your rest, and you've been running around, making breakfast! Dear, don't hurt yourself more than you already are!"

Ash looked down. He had woken up early because he couldn't get to sleep again. Those nightmares…those terrible nightmares… He shuddered.

A few minutes later, Caroline had whipped up some eggs for herself and Norman, and made Ash a glass of orange juice.

"So…," Norman began, trying to sound casual, "About yesterday…" He looked to Ash's questioning face. "We had to bandage you up, you know. So we of course looked at your…wounds… And we also found some…other…older ones, as well… Care to tell us what happened?"

Ash sighed. "And as I said last night, it's…an extremely long story. It doesn't even matter." He swallowed a pain killer pill with his orange juice.

"It does too matter," Caroline said sternly, as if speaking to her own child.

"I'm…sorry……," Ash said once again, slowly. "I just…I just don't want to talk about it." He looked away, feeling uncomfortable.

Norman and Caroline shared a look, not saying anything—leaving Ash to guess what the look meant. It's not like he could really tell. His mother didn't 'share a look' with…… Well, it didn't matter, anyway…

"I think you should tell your parents where you are, Ash," Caroline said coolly. "They need to know what happened to you."

"They?" Ash asked quietly.

Norman arched an eyebrow when he heard this, but before he could question Ash on it, the teenager did his best to get to their phone, Caroline coming up and helping him.

Ash sighed and sat down. His mother was going to kill him… He began to dial his home number, Caroline throwing him an encouraging look. The phone finally answered, a picture of Delia Ketchum filling the screen.

"_You've reached the Ketchum residence. I'm not here right now, so please leave a message after the beep. Oh, and if you're looking for my son, he's on his pokémon journey… And if you are my son, I'll be back soon, and I love you, honey! Don't forget to change your un—" Beep!_

Ash looked up. "She's not home," he stated.

Caroline frowned. "I guess you can try later then…"

Ash honestly wished that Caroline and Norman would forget to remind him.

* * *

"Hurry up, _Max_!" May called out, getting impatient. The helicopter was all ready to go, and the only _thing_ they were waiting for was Max.

Max then jumped in the helicopter. "Okay, let's fly!"

The pilot gave them a thumbs up before taking off.

May settled back into her seat, trying to calm herself down. She looked over to Drew. She had told him to stay in Mossdeep, because he didn't need to come, and he needed to practice for the contest in a few days. He had refused, told her that he wanted to come along, and that he could practice when they got back.

And one part of her mind still wondered where the hell Ash was. Yes, she was still quite pissed off at him, and really thought he must know about Petalburg now… It was all over the news nonstop. With every news report, May got even more worried. She couldn't believe that one person even got _killed_. Twelve injured, including the guy who rescued her father. That guy was who the news reporters wanted to interview. They said something about asking him 'how does it feel to be a hero?' Something along those lines. Max even said he wanted to meet the guy and thank him.

May sighed. _Twenty-four hours. I have to wait twenty-four hours_… She pictured her parents in her mind, and hoped they were doing okay after the incident…

* * *

More? Not liking it? Let me know at 1-800-REVIEW-THIS-STORY (Note: Phone number does not exist. Please click the review button)

I'll be back soon


	17. Chapter 17

Hey. ANOTHER CHAPTER! YAY! (...) Okay, so sorry i haven't updated in a while. I haven't really been busy so to speak (since i never am), I just haven't gotten around to it. I apologize. Thank you, all reviewers! (SpiritAnime, Ultimate Legendary Master, Stealthfire001, shootnkill, PsychoB, Arisu Tsuranu and Stitch Phantom) COOKIES FOR ALL!

I do not own pokemon. Damn, but if I did...

Let's go. (Oh, by the way, the friggin big line thingys that i usually put in between scenes aren't working today, so i'm using dashes instead. Just a note)

----------

"You're kidding. I know you're kidding," Caroline said in disbelief, the next day.

Ash shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm leaving this afternoon."

"You can barely _walk_, much less travel!" Caroline protested, indicating the couch that Ash had laid back on silently for over twenty-four hours. "Your injuries aren't even _close_ to getting healed, and if you do leave, you'll be in constant pain. I'm not just going to let an injured child leave this house just like that!"

"I know, and I'm really sorry. I really appreciate you letting me stay here, and you've been extremely nice. But I've got to leave, I've got to…"

"What's the rush?"

Ash sighed. "It's part of that long story I keep telling you about."

Caroline sighed herself. Every time she would talk to him, it all ended back at that 'long story'. She had asked him why he was in Petalburg City, and he didn't even bother answering.

"And why can't you tell us that long story again?" she inquired.

Ash looked away. "Because…because it hurts to tell…"

Caroline was silent. Over the two days Ash was there, he was acting like a completely different person than who Caroline saw last. She knew that this situation must be serious. "Well, if you ever feel like talking…"

"I know, and thanks." And Ash tried to get up off the couch.

But Caroline stepped in front of him. "You aren't leaving, Ash."

"Ummmm……"

"Not until you're better."

"But—"

"No buts. Lunch is in a half an hour. Call if you need any help." And with that, Caroline walked away.

Ash swore under his breath. He could just feel the Pikachu trail getting colder and colder. By the time Caroline let him out of the house, sure, he'd feel better, but the trail would be so cold, it'd be ancient. He had a feeling that even if he _did_ tell Norman and Caroline about what happened, they would still make him stay until he felt better.

_Then I better learn how to walk better…_, Ash thought bitterly, annoyed with the unsteadiness in his step. Annoyed that Norman or Caroline had to help him anytime he tried to do something. Annoyed with the pain that followed him like crazy.

Ash glared and slammed a fist into the couch angrily, ignoring the pain in his arm. He couldn't just _sit_ by like this. He _had_ to get Pikachu back, and he had to get him back _now_. Who knew what kind of bad things Team Rocket were doing with him? They even could have decided to finally give Pikachu to their boss…

------------

May's hair whipped around her like crazy as she stood about twenty feet away from the helicopter. They had just landed a few minutes ago, just a few miles from May's home, and Misty was just saying a few words to the pilot.

When Misty finally left the helicopter, it took off, and May began to lead the others to her and Max's home.

"It was really cool that you could get us that helicopter, Misty," Max commented, smiling.

"Yeah, it's amazing what a small town Gym Leader can get these days, huh?" Misty responded, returning the boy's smile.

"I bet being so good had a play in it," Brock said.

Max nodded. "Well of course she had to be good. If she wasn't, she wouldn't be a Gym Leader, now would she?"

Misty sweat dropped slightly, but didn't say anything.

They were maybe a mile or so away from May and Max's house when the group began to spot little craters in the earth, just in the field of grass.

May paled. "That was where it happened…"

"Daddy almost died…," Max added quietly. He quickened his pace.

Misty, Brock, and Drew were quiet, just looking around and following the other two.

May and Max ran up to their house and decided to knock on the door first.

"Just in time for lunch…," May said. "Good. Dad will be home too…"

The door opened up hesitantly, revealing Caroline. Her eyes widened when she saw her children, and they both ran up to hug her.

"May! Max! What are you doing here?"

"We heard about what happened on the news, Mom," May explained. "We needed to come home."

"Well, your father and I are just fine, if you were wondering that. But you're just in time for lunch, so come on in—all of you." And Caroline led the five into the house. "So, Brock, how've you been?"

"I've been good, thanks."

"And…I don't think I've met you two before…" Clearly, Caroline meant Drew and Misty.

"I'm Misty Waterflower, the leader of the Cerulean City Gym, and an old friend of Ash and Brock…"

"And I'm Drew…May's………"

"Friend," May finished.

Caroline threw May an amused smile and led them into the kitchen. "I'm sure I can whip up enough lunch for everyone."

Brock offered his services, and Caroline gladly accepted.

"Where's Dad?" May asked, looking around.

"Oh, he's running a little late at the gym. He said he needed to get a few more things done, but he should be home any minute now…" Caroline paused.

"Mommy, we heard that twelve people were injured… Do you know how they're doing?" Max asked.

Caroline smiled. "Oh, I hear that most of them are doing a lot better now. Seven of them weren't injured that badly, so they are doing much better."

"But those bad people got Dad's Slaking, and a ton of other people's pokémon," Max said sadly. "Do you think we'll ever get them back?"

"Of course, honey, I'm sure we will…"

"Caroline! I'm home!" called out a familiar voice, and he came into the kitchen and saw May and Max. "Well! If it isn't May and Max again!"

"Dad!" Max came up and hugged Norman tight. "We were really worried, Dad. We saw the news report……" He looked up at his father.

"We don't have to talk about that now, Max. Let's get some food for now." Norman looked around at the five kids. "Umm… A bit crowded today, huh?"

Misty and Drew introduced themselves again, making Norman familiar with them as well.

"Well, as crowded as we might be, my headcount is still showing that we're one short," Norman said.

May's eyes flashed with anger. She knew her father meant Ash. He was wondering why Ash wasn't with them, she knew it.

Norman got up. "I'll be right back."

Caroline handed out lunch and brought out some more chairs for the people who had nowhere to sit. "Lunch is served."

--------------

"Come on, it's time for lunch. Everyone is waiting."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, _'everyone'_?"

"May, Max, Brock, Misty, and Drew are here too," Norman replied. "They just came a few minutes ago."

A sick feeling developed in Ash's stomach. There was no way he wanted to go out there now. After the conversation on the phone… He really didn't want to bring up another nightmare conversation again. "Um…um… I'm not hungry?"

Norman gave him a look. "Ash, come on. At least come out to see your friends."

Ash snorted very softly. _Right. Yeah, right. I know they don't want to see me. I know I don't really want to see them. I do know I want to get out of here. Maybe…_

"Time's up. Let's go." Norman helped Ash up and began to lead him to the kitchen.

Ash pulled his arm from Norman's tight grip. "I—" He bowed his head. "Fine… Just let go of me."

Norman nodded and went back into the kitchen, seating himself and waiting for Ash. _I mean, what's his problem? It's just his friends. Wait… They don't know he's injured, do they? God… Well, they should have at least known he was here. They must've asked Caroline about him…_

Ash slowly walked into the kitchen and took the remaining seat, ignoring the stifled gasps and stares.

Caroline smiled. "Good. Now that's everyone's here, let's eat."

May stared. "Mom, why is _Ash_ here!"

Caroline gave her a strange look, and Norman gave Caroline a look that said, 'you didn't tell them?'

Ash looked down at his plate and picked at his food nervously.

"Ash, how'd you _get_ here?" Misty asked, almost loudly. "Four days ago you were in Mossdeep with the rest of us, and I _highly_ doubt you got a helicopter."

Ash shifted. "Uh…"

"And why are you in Petalburg anyway? Did you hear about the accident too?" May questioned.

"I was here because of the 'accident'," Ash hissed.

Norman raised his eyebrows, a little confused. How could Ash have known that something was going to happen in Petalburg? If he did, why didn't he try to stop it?

May glared. "What's that supposed to mean? That you _knew_ this was going to happen!"

"In a way. I got here as fast as I could, but I was too late." Ash closed his eyes as he realized that if he had gone a little faster… Eleven other injured…one killed… _Great. The screw ups just keep on coming!_

"Ash Ketchum," Misty began in _that_ voice.

"Hey, you guys, settle down. Even if Ash knew that Team Rocket was going to attack, there really wasn't much he could do about it," Norman interjected.

"Team Rocket?" Brock asked. "Now I understand how you knew." He looked to Ash. "And the hunt continues, I assume?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"And I'm also assuming that you ran into them after you ran off, correct?"

"Yes, Brock. Brief encounter. Nothing resolved."

Caroline and Norman shared a slightly confused look. Maybe this was part of the 'long story' Ash refused to tell them.

There was a silence for a few minutes before Caroline announced, "May, Max, I've been thinking… And I don't think you two should continue your journey."

"What!" May and Max cried in unison.

"Last time you visited, you told me about how Team Rocket was following you around. After the disaster here……… I don't want you getting hurt."

"But, Mom, they're not following us anymore!" May protested.

"Yeah," Max added. "The only reason they were following us was because of Ash!"

_Okay. I guess that's my fault too,_ Ash thought, not saying anything.

"They got what they wanted from him, Mom," May said.

Ash squeezed his eyes shut. _They sure did…_

Norman looked around the table. "Okay, this is getting me very confused. I'm sorry. But it seems that Caroline and I probably have no idea about what you're talking about. I think it's time to tell us that 'long story', Ash." And seven pairs of eyes stared at Ash.

Ash inwardly snorted. _Like I'm telling them everything. I'm just a screw up, it's not like they care._ He glared and gestured to May, Max, Brock, and Misty. "They know what happened. Ask them."

"You're the one who experienced it, so we're asking _you_," Norman countered. "And I doubt they know all the details."

"You're right, they don't. But they would have a heck of an easier time telling it than I would."

"I understand." Norman looked at the others. "You willing to fill us in here?"

The four nodded hesitantly, and Drew sat back, finally getting to hear the whole story himself.

"Misty," Ash began. "The part I told you a few days ago stays between us. I'm pretty sure you know what to keep out." And he left the room.

"Well," May started. "It all started a while ago when me, Max, Ash, and Brock were on our way to Lilycove City. That day was highly memorable. We were minding our own business until Team Rocket came in on a huge machine…"

-----------------------------------

man, i'm bad... Well, who wants more? Hmmmmmmmm?

Man, I love the whole Petalburg scene for some reason. For some odd reason, Norman and Caroline are really FUN to write. Strange...


	18. Chapter 18

Hey, everyone, I'm back.

Okay, so THANK YOU to all reviewers! (cookies, cake, etc, etc, etc) I really need to update more often, I know... It's just that I don't want you to finish the story so fast, and then want the sequel when it's only 30,000 words long right now! I need to finish it, I need to finish it...

I STILL don't own Pokemon. I wish I did, but I don't. Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever be able to watch it again. Is it coming on the CW network? Or is it staying on the old station? Or is it just not showing ever again? I don't have cable, people, what am I to do?

Okay...that's enough of me blabbing. Please read and review to get instant cake and goodies. (and a faster update)

-------------------

"And he hung up on us. That was the last we heard from him," Brock concluded.

He and the others had taken turns filling Caroline and Norman in, and the only person who was lacking in details was Misty. She had taken Ash's request very seriously, and she gave the others warning glances whenever she knew they were going to try to bring up 'Meowth's Fury Swipe Revenge'.

Norman tapped his fingertips on the table. "There seems to be big holes in your story. For example, I'd like to know what happened to Ash after the first time he left."

May shrugged. "No one really knows. He never told us."

"And you didn't really say anything about when you met up with Ash, Misty."

Misty shrugged as well. "I met up with him, we talked, and we went to Mossdeep, which was where Ash knew Team Rocket was going next."

"And Ash just left again after Beautifly got attacked?" Norman inquired.

"Yes. He called the next day, but he didn't give that much info. That, as Brock said before, was the last we heard of him. We have no idea what happened to him between then and now," Misty said.

"Oh, my, that dear boy!" Caroline exclaimed. "He's been through so much! No wonder he didn't want to talk about it!"

Norman sighed. He didn't know the…situation…was this bad. "Well, at least we now know where that scar came from." He spoke of the scar down Ash's leg. "It doesn't explain the cuts on his chest though. I'm guessing this happened when he was on his own?"

"Wait. When did _you_ get to see Ash's cuts?" May cut in.

Before Norman could answer, Ash began to slowly make his way back into the room. "I'm guessing you guys are finally done discussing the story of my life?" He almost collapsed in his chair.

"Actually, Ash, we were just getting to the interesting part," Norman replied.

Ash shot him a glare. If someone thought that this was _interesting_, that person clearly—

"I'm sorry. I meant that your friends' story has a few holes in it. Maybe some holes you're willing to fill?"

"Nope. I'd like them to stay empty," Ash stated bluntly. "No offense, but there are some things I like to keep to myself. I didn't tell anyone everything." He looked to Misty. "Like you. I told you that one part, and you, of course, had to tell the rest of the party."

"Ash, I wasn't just going to _not_ tell them about it."

"You could have. But anyway…"

"Ash, we're not done speaking to your friends. They need to know what happened to you when you came to Petalburg," Caroline said.

"Yeah, Ash, what did happen?" Misty asked. "You didn't do something stupid, did you?"

"Well, as I said on the news, I was out training with Slaking when Team Rocket attacked. When I caught up with them, they eventually beat Slaking with Pikachu and their other pokémon," Norman started, ignoring Ash's pleading look that told him not to tell them. "And it didn't really look to good for me. But then, all of a sudden, Team Rocket's Dustox, Seviper, and Cacnea fainted."

"Oh, yeah! By that guy who saved you, right?" Max cut in.

Norman smiled. "I turned to where the attack came from, and there was Ash."

The faces of Ash's four friends went blank.

"Team Rocket was apparently irritated with Ash's interference, so they tried killing him with a grenade. Ash did manage to avoid most of that damage, but he couldn't get up. They threw a second grenade that hit so close to him…"

Ash looked away.

"He was so injured, and he was bleeding everywhere," Norman continued carefully, eyeing Ash. "He was very lucky…… He almost died."

"So you're the one who saved Dad," May said quietly. Why hadn't she noticed it sooner? They way he was hurt like that… She had assumed it was all from Team Rocket…

Ash looked at her. "Look, I didn't _save_ him. Team Rocket would have noticed me anyway, and they would have thrown those last two grenades at me anyway. Your father was in no danger." He frowned and rubbed his temples, trying to massage the ever present headache that decided to flare.

"Are you okay?" Misty asked worriedly.

_I am sick of people asking that,_ Ash thought, still rubbing his temples. "Um… I'm just feeling lightheaded… Dizzy…" And before he could say anything else, the darkness took him again.

-------------------

Norman quickly jumped out of his chair and caught Ash as the teenager fell out of his chair, unconscious. The Gym Leader looked to the others. "He's okay, he just…just passed out. I think he must've needed more water…" He carried Ash into the living room and placed him on the couch, Caroline soon following with a cup of water for when Ash woke up.

The five kids came in as well.

"I can't believe…" Misty let her voice trail off. She was obviously upset with the whole ordeal. "This whole thing is a nightmare. A living, breathing nightmare."

"If _you_ think it's a nightmare, I wonder what Cin—I mean, _Ash_ thinks it is," Drew commented. "Since it's apparently more painful to _him_ than you."

Misty shot him a look, but eventually turned her gaze back to Ash.

"Has this happened before, Dad?" May inquired.

"Oh, he's never fainted on us. But I know he's in a ton of pain. And when he gets upset, it just makes the whole thing that much more worse."

Caroline put her hands on her hips. "And he thought he was leaving today. He actually expected for me to let him go."

"When do you think he'll be well enough to leave?" Brock asked.

"I don't know," Caroline replied honestly. "He'll probably try to leave every day. But his injuries haven't had enough time to heal. You guys might have seen his injuries before, but now it's just…" Caroline shuddered. She really couldn't stand other people's blood. It creeped her out.

"It's just worse now," Norman finished.

Max sat down on a nearby chair and began to look sad. "I miss Pikachu, Dad. I miss the real Ash."

Norman sighed. "I'm going to be honest with you, Max. I can only think of one way to get Pikachu back. And that's if Pikachu regains his memory. The problem is, that's not the easiest thing to accomplish."

Max sighed. "Don't I know it. Ash has been trying for forever."

"So what are we going to do now?" Misty questioned. "Do we wait until Ash gets better, and then go back to Mossdeep?"

Brock shrugged. "I don't know. Every time we're all together, Ash just sets out on his own."

"He's always telling us he doesn't want us hurt," May added. "And that's why he never lets us come."

"I've already told him a million times. I can take care of myself," Misty stated. "But he never listens. I don't know why he's being so retarded."

"This whole situation must have placed one heck of a lot of pressure on him," Drew pointed out. "And even if he _was_ thinking straight, he wouldn't want you to come. It's a personal matter."

"I know it's a _personal matter_, Drew, but don't you think that he would think he'd get Pikachu a lot faster if we were all there to help?"

"I seriously doubt he's thinking straight," Drew repeated. "I think when Pikachu Thunderbolted him, his brain got scrambled."

Misty shot him another look. "Honestly, Drew."

"He probably would have made the same decision if he was thinking straight," Brock said. "That's just the way he is." He gave Misty a knowing look. "You know Ash, Misty. I could name a ton of times that would prove that he's just acting more like himself now. It's like he's switched into 'serious Ash' mode for a while now."

"I thought it was called 'save-the-world-Ash'," Misty snorted. "Except this is not the same as before."

Brock nodded. "That's because it's more personal. I'm sure Ash is as angry as hell at Team Rocket, and he's willing to do anything to get Pikachu back."

Norman and Caroline sat back on the other couch, listening to the conversation, along with Max, on the chair, who didn't look like he wanted to get in the middle of the conversation.

"He can be so immature sometimes," May pointed out blandly. "I can't believe he can do a complete flip like this."

"Take it from someone who's known Ash since the day he began his journey. Back when he was _ten._ He's actually not too bad now," Misty said. "Sure, he has his moments now and then, but it's not as bad as before." She paused. "And the flip thing? I don't really get that either. It's like, one second he's acting all immature and stupid, and one second later, he's trying to save someone or something or some pokémon or the world or something like that." She shrugged. "It's kind of weird now that I think about it."

"Some people have split personalities," Drew said. "I mean, Ash doesn't have one really, but it's just the mode he's in. But sometimes people put up a front when they're around other people. They don't want to let anyone in to find out what's really in there."

Misty frowned. "I don't think he was pulling a front on us. I've traveled with him for a really long time, and people can't hold up fronts all the time."

"Hence the flip," Drew said smoothly.

Misty was silent. That made a lot of sense…

"He has to let it out someway, right? You may think his 'flip' is just his way of getting things done, and you might think it's weird because it's just not like _him_. But it's just the real him breaking through. Because you're right, Misty, no one can keep a front up forever. It can be really hard if you're around people who know you…" Drew shrugged. "I could be completely wrong, though. It's just a theory."

Brock rubbed his chin, wondering if Drew's theory was even remotely right. He honestly didn't believe that Ash had a 'front' when he was ten, but maybe when he had gotten older, and started to change… Brock knew for a fact that your personality went through some serious changes when you become a teenager. No one would believe it, but a long time ago, Brock had actually thought girls were 'yucky'.

Drew sat down himself, folding his arms across his chest, done making his point in the conversation, and was now stepping out of it.

May looked to Brock and Misty questioningly. "You two know him better than I do. What do you think?"

Misty shook her head. "I don't know what to think anymore. This whole thing is crazy."

Brock nodded in agreement. "And I get the feeling that Ash won't want to talk about it."

"He's got a talent for hiding what's really going on," Misty agreed.

"Well," Caroline spoke up, breaking the conversation. "If you are all staying here for a while, you might as well know where you're going to sleep. Misty, I was thinking that you could sleep in May's room with her. And the boys can go in Max's room."

Misty nodded. "That'd be great. But are you okay with us staying here? I mean, there are a lot of us, and I wouldn't want to overwhelm you…"

Caroline smiled. "It's okay. It's been a little too quiet around here anyway."

May gestured to the others. "Come on, let's show you where you're gonna bunk." And she led the four others upstairs.

Norman looked to his wife uncertainty. "Are you sure you want all these kids here? There's _six_ of them. Well, I guess it's more like five, because Brock's not really a kid. And May, Misty, Drew, and Ash are all teenagers, so…" His face turned into a weird one. "You'll have to handle _four_ teenagers. I bet you thought that just one of them was hard work!"

"Oh, Norman, I doubt I'll find them kissing."

Norman made a sour face. "You had better not. Especially not May."

Caroline smiled. "Speaking of May… I really think she likes—"

"What! What kind of like? You better not find those kids kissing… Argh… Teenagers…" Norman looked horrified.

"Drew, the new kid. I think she likes him. And I think he likes her back."

"You're insane, Caroline. I bet now you're going to say Misty and Ash like each other too?"

"That's not a bad idea…"

"Caroline!" Norman exclaimed in exasperation. "I _really_ hope you won't even _try_ to play matchmaker when I'm at work. It's bad enough having four of those critters in the house. It'll be crazy, I can just tell."

"They have good manners. I'm sure everything will be okay."

"Yeah…that's what you said when we had to tell your mom and dad we were getting married all those years ago. And look what happened with that!"

"It all turned out nicely," Caroline said. "And that's all that matters."

"Yeah, but I'm still not going to forget about what your father said about my hair." As he said this, Norman ran a hand through his hair. "I thought I looked pretty hot with that hair."

Caroline laughed.

"What?" Norman asked, acting insulted. "You didn't like my hair either!"

"Of course I loved your hair, Norman," Caroline said with another laugh.

Norman laughed too for a few minutes before saying, "Yeah, but that's not the point. Tell me, when did we start dating?"

"When we were teenagers."

Norman froze for a second. "Yeah…but……… The point is, you can't push any of those kids together, because then they'll be…… They'll go crazy! Promise me you won't do that!"

"Fine, I promise."

Norman exhaled in relief. "Okay. Thanks." He then left the room, planning on checking on the kids.

Caroline sighed happily and let her eyes lay on Ash. The boy seemed to be coming to, so she went over the couch and sat on the end.

Ash blinked his eyes a few times to see Caroline. "What—what happened? I don't remember falling unconscious…"

"You passed out, dear. Here, drink this." She helped him sit up and handed him the glass of water.

Ash drank about half the water when he stopped. "Um… Why are you looking so happy?"

Caroline smiled. "Just reminiscing with Norman."

Ash was silent for a long while. "You're really happy being married to Norman, aren't you? Really happy that you and him and May and Max could be a nice family?"

"Of course. It's great."

"I thought as much. I remember last time I saw you guys, on your anniversary." Ash looked away. "You guys looked so happy." _And I was so…confused._

Caroline nodded slowly. "Yes, we were, and we still are."

"And…what would happen……if Norman just wasn't there anymore? And it was just you, May and Max. Would…would you still be happy?"

Caroline frowned. "Well, since I love Norman so much, I'd probably be devastated… And the kids would probably feel the same way." She looked at Ash's distant look. "Why do you ask?"

"Um… I just wanted to know……" Ash let his sentence trail off. What he wanted to know was how his mother felt without his father there. He just kept seeing how _happy_ Norman and Caroline were, and he wondered if his mother was ever that happy. "It was just a dumb question. Forget I said anything." He looked around. "Where did everyone else go?"

"Well, since your friends are staying here for awhile, they're checking out where they're going to sleep," Caroline answered, but was still confused at Ash's last questions. "You're feeling better?"

Ash sighed and closed his eyes for a second. "I swear I was pretty fine until I passed out. It's just… Everything that was happening at the time, and I just… My head just…"

"It's okay. It's just when you get upset, you just make everything worse."

Ash smiled bitterly. "Yeah, I noticed that. It's really strange. But I guess that's one of the reasons you won't let me leave until I'm better now. You know that I'm probably going to get upset when I run into Team Rocket again."

Caroline frowned. "About that, Ash… I'm really sorry about what happened to Pikachu. This must be really hard."

"Well, at least you finally know my 'long story', and the others know my 'Petalburg Disaster' story. So now you guys all know the life of Ash Ketchum from the time that Pikachu slipped through my fingers to now." Ash's eyebrows creased. "It's like exchanging stories over a campfire."

"Ash, don't think of it that way."

"But that's exactly what it was! Just think about it, will you? Each group has a story to tell. One group tells a story, and then the other group gives them one in exchange. Everyone's entertained." Ash folded his arms across his chest.

Caroline was silent. When Ash put it like _that_, it seemed that 'exchanging stories over a campfire' was exactly what they were doing. "I'm sorry you had to go through that then."

Ash made an offhand motion. "It's over. It doesn't matter."

"We should have at least thought about what we were doing before we did it," Caroline said.

"Maybe." Ash shook his head. "Don't worry about it though. I know it was just something that got messed up. Believe me, this past few weeks, all I've been doing is screwing up." He held up a hand when Caroline looked like she was going to say something to 'try' and convince him that he was wrong. He then shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry you have to deal with me. I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"Ash, we're 'dealing' with you because we want to. We want to help you out! We care about you."

Ash almost rolled his eyes. Why was it so hard for him to believe that?

Caroline must have seen a little skepticism in his expression, because she said, "Believe me, we all care. If we didn't, would we have been so worried about you? Your friends are worried to tears. They don't understand what's happening with you. They don't understand why you keep going off without them. They don't understand why they can't help."

"I don't want them to get hurt," Ash protested. "Take it from someone who knows, Team Rocket isn't afraid to hurt me or the others anymore. They won't stop. They won't show mercy." Ash paused, looking straight at Caroline. "I don't want them to get hurt," he repeated, meaning each and every word.

"Did you tell them that?" Caroline inquired.

"Of _course_ I told them that. They just don't care about that."

"Because they care about _you_. They don't care about getting hurt in the process; they just care about helping you get Pikachu back."

"I'm still not going to let them come. It's out of the question. If Team Rocket even touches them, I swear I will…" Ash intentionally left his sentence hanging, believing that he got his point across.

"I see…… But how do you plan to resolve your problem? Do you have some sort of plan?"

"I don't need a dumb plan to get my pokémon back. You can't just plan that kind of thing. I'm just going to hunt Team Rocket down, make Pikachu remember, and then he'll come back with me. Simple as that.

The only problem is the 'making-Pikachu-remember' part…" Ash sighed. "I should just face it. At the rate I'm going, it's probable that Pikachu lost his memory for good." He smiled bitterly. "Wonderful situation, isn't it?"

"Ash, you can't start being pessimistic now," Caroline advised, frowning.

"Why not? I can't help it, since I just keep failing over and over and over again. It's just what happens."

Before Caroline could respond to that, she heard Max's voice from a few feet away.

"Hey, Ash, you're up!" Max came into the room, the other four kids behind him, along with Norman. He bounced on the couch next to Ash. "How are yah feeling?"

"Fine," Ash said between clenched teeth. "And how are you?"

Max gave him a strange look. "I'm good……" He patted himself on the chest. "You gave me a heart attack when I saw yah faint like that." He smiled.

Ash looked away, his injuries seeming to pulse with pain in sync with his heart beat. "Well, don't beat your heart out. I'm completely okay." He rolled his eyes. "And I somehow think that you're too young to have a heart attack anyway."

"You know what he means," Misty said. "And I think I speak for everyone when I say that we all felt the same."

Brock and May nodded in agreement.

Ash folded his arms across his chest, wondering what the group was planning on doing next. He needed to get better so he could continue, and he knew the others would probably just follow him until he could find the time to get away.

_I wonder how it's all going to work out,_ Ash thought to himself. _I wonder where Team Rocket is now…_

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Okay... that's all for now. This is the longest chapter I posted, because i didn't want to be so evil to break it in two and leave you hanging...that would have been very...mean...

And YAY, for fall premieres coming soon! -prays for dark storylines...-


	19. Chapter 19

Hi everyone! Okay, okay, I'm back. AS ALWAYS I was very happy to receive wonderful reviews. When people say that they've cried, it makes me HAPPY! Okay, that sounds very cruel... -hands out cookies-

I still don't own Pokemon.

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Ash tapped his fingers absentmindedly on the table late that night. He found that he couldn't get to sleep, and he decided to just sit down at the kitchen table. He had propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. He was just staring ahead, thinking about what had happened so far. Thinking about what he would do once Caroline and Norman let him go.

He looked to the clock. 2:27 AM. Ash realized he had been there, doing nothing, for almost four hours. It wasn't his fault he couldn't sleep. Maybe he would stay there all night. But on the other hand, he might be tired enough to get back to the couch.

"Ash?" a voice whispered from behind Ash. "What are you doing up so late?"

Ash turned to see Misty, her red-orange hair let down to reach a little past her shoulders. "Uhhh……… I could ask you the same thing."

"I just came to get a drink of water…" Misty seated herself in a chair across from Ash. "What? You can't get to sleep?"

"Something like that," Ash answered in a slightly preoccupied voice.

"Why'd you just leave after Beautifly got attacked? Didn't you give a damn?"

"Oh, no, I didn't give a damn about Beautifly," Ash responded, sarcasm dripping from each word. "Of course I cared. But at that point, it was just the perfect way to hit the road. No one would notice me missing when Beautifly was hurt. I'm sorry, but I had to……" He looked at Misty helplessly. "I just got to get Pikachu back…… I can't explain it…"

"If you want Pikachu back so bad, why don't you let me and the others come with you? If we were all there, I bet we'd be able to get Pikachu back together."

"Maybe so, but I don't want you—"

"—getting hurt," Misty finished in a bored voice. "Don't give me that crap, Ash Ketchum. Why can't you just see that it makes more _sense_ if we all go?"

"_Because, _Misty. _You_, apparently, don't understand. If anything happened to you—to any of you, I'd never be able to forgive myself." Ash held his arms out, as if expecting Misty to see the cuts and burns underneath the long sleeves of his sweatshirt. "I don't want Team Rocket hurting you like they hurt me."

"Come on, Ash, it's _Team Rocket_. They never really posed a threat."

Ash shook his head. "It's different now. Now that they have Pikachu, they feel like they can do anything. _They're not afraid to hurt us anymore_. They wanted to kill me, Mist. They almost succeeded. If they _did_ succeed in killing you or May, or Brock or Max… I don't know what I would do."

Misty was silent for a long time before commenting, "It must hurt a lot…losing Pikachu…"

"I know it hurts. It was meant to," Ash replied. "Why do you think I try so hard to get him back? It's not like I want to hurt forever, you know. And just thinking about Pikachu being with Team Rocket all the time gives me the creeps. Thinking about Pikachu being with their _boss_ just gives me bigger creeps. You know they're eventually going to give Pikachu to their boss, so they can get that promotion they're always blabbing about. That's why I've got to work fast… Before that happens…"

"I don't know why, but I don't think Team Rocket will give Pikachu to their boss for a while," Misty commented dryly. "Since Pikachu considers Team Rocket his friends, it changes the whole situation."

"I know. They're revenge-hungry. They want to kick my ass." Ash shook his head. "And what can I say? They've been doing a pretty good job so far."

"Just don't let them get you down. You don't need that now."

"I know," Ash said again. He glared. "But they just _piss_ me off so much." He clenched his fists so hard, he could feel his fingernails digging into the palms of his hands. "I wish they would just die!" He tried to hold up all the anger he felt burning inside him, the burning almost overpowering the pain from his wounds. "They've been giving me this shit ever since I was ten. I'm frickin' sick of it! And now that they actually _succeeded_ in stealing Pikachu, it just makes it that much worse!"

Misty thought long and hard. "Can't you just make Pikachu return to his pokéball?"

Ash gave her a strange look. "Even if Pikachu wasn't afraid of his pokéball, I wouldn't be able to get him back inside it. He'll never listen to me."

"Then why don't you just catch him?"

"What! No, impossible. Even if it was a _remote possibility_, I wouldn't be able to keep that little ball of electricity inside a pokéball," Ash said, dismissing the idea right off the back. "And I'm sure you can't catch a pokémon that you've already caught before."

Misty sighed. "Why don't you just call Professor Oak and ask for advice then? I'm sure _he_ can think of something."

"Yeah… Maybe I should…… Not looking forward to telling him the extremely long story though."

Misty got up and put a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Just call him tomorrow, tell him what happened, and find a way to get Pikachu back. It's as easy as that." And she began to leave.

"What about your drink of water? I thought you came down for one?"

"I think you quenched my thirst," Misty said, and Ash could hear her going back upstairs.

Ash was a little confused at Misty's last statement, but shrugged it off. Looking to the clock again, Ash saw that it read three in the morning. He wondered if Professor Oak would have an answer……

_Well, maybe he's still at the lab now,_ Ash thought, getting up himself. He wanted to call the professor right away, but he didn't want to wake up anyone in the house. He went into the living room and got on his shoes. And after that, he silently left the house. Walking to where the pokémon center was, Ash tried to ignore the painful protests from his body and pushed on. He went inside the pokémon center and saw Nurse Joy asleep at the desk. Ash couldn't blame her. Being there all day, with nothing but work to do…

He was sure that she wouldn't mind him using the phone though. Ash sneaked into the back, where the phone was located. He carefully and silently dialed Professor Oak's number and waited as the phone rang…

_Caroline would kill me if she found out I was missing,_ Ash thought nervously, hoping that his hostess wouldn't wake up until he came home. _And I don't think the others would be too happy either. They'd all assume that I 'ran off' again. Gone off solo._

"You better have a frickin' good reason for calling this early," growled an angry voice from the phone.

Ash recognized the voice immediately, but didn't let on. Both screens were off, apparently. "I need to speak with Professor Oak," he said calmly—or as calmly as he could manage.

"And _why_ couldn't you wait until later? It's _three o'clock in the morning_, damn it! It better be an emergency!"

"I'd really like to speak with Professor Oak, please," Ash said tightly.

"Then call back later! Professors need sleep too, yah know!"

"Gary…"

"Don't you 'Gary' m—" Gary cut himself off. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

"Why do I have the feeling that I just wasted my time?" Ash sighed.

"Ash? Ashy-boy?" Gary laughed. "Ha! I should have known that you'd be the only one stupid enough to call this early! What the hell's your problem? Why'd you call!"

"I've got a…problem…, and I need to speak with the professor."

"Oh, Gramps isn't here right now. He went home hours ago. But I can help you with my Pokémon Researcher intellect."

Ash snorted. "No thanks. Just tell the professor to call me back, okay? It's _really_ important."

"Fine. Where're you at?"

"Tell him to call me at Petalburg City Gym Leader Norman's house. I'll bet I'll still be there by tomorrow." Ash gave him the number.

"What are you doing at a _Gym Leader's_ house?" Gary questioned suspiciously.

"It just so happens that Norman is the father of two of my friends that I'm traveling with. They just stopped by for a 'family reunion'," Ash replied, not bothering to tell Gary anything else. He wouldn't tell Gary what happened if he was the last person on earth.

"Okay. Fine. I'll tell him when he comes back……in a few hours. Do you want me to have him call you back as soon as he gets here or…?"

"Make sure he calls at least at nine. I don't want to wake anyone up."

"Okay," Gary said again. "Well, goodbye. Nice talking to you——loser." And he hung up.

Ash rolled his eyes.

---------------------

It was eight forty-five when Ash and the others were eating breakfast. Everyone, except for Norman, who was at the Gym, and Caroline, who went out grocery shopping. "Early bird catches the worm," she had said cheerfully before she left a half an hour earlier.

"Ash, you look terrible," Brock said from across the table, giving Max a second serving of pancakes.

"Oh, thanks, Brock, that makes me feel so much better," Ash responded sarcastically. "What's your keen eyesight telling you now? That my burns hurt? My cuts? That I'm in some kind of an emotional rut? What is it now?"

"It's not any of that," Brock replied very carefully. "I was just thinking… You look really, _really_ tired."

Ash shrugged. "Been having trouble sleeping. It's nothing new, Brock. It's been around for weeks."

"Well, maybe it's finally catching up to you."

Ash sighed and took another bite out of his pancake. "Whatever…"

"Yeah, and craters were everywhere, and the explosions were so loud, I thought you, or Mom or Dad would wake up and yell at us! So these other guys were throwing grenades like _crazy_—"

"MAX!" May said irritably.

Ash shuddered at the sound of _grenade_. One little word could bring all the pain back?

"You've been telling us about that war movie all morning!" May continued.

"When did you see a war movie?" Ash asked.

Max turned to face him. "Me, Drew, and Brock stayed up real late last night and watched it in my room. We were going to wake up the girls, but we decided it was just guy time." He frowned when he thought about what he just said.

Ash nodded slowly. "I see…"

Just then, breakfast was interrupted with a loud ringing that was the phone.

"Oh, I'll get that," May exclaimed, getting up.

"No," Ash said, getting up himself. "I'm pretty sure that's for me."

May looked at him, an eyebrow arched. "Who would be calling _you_ at my house?"

Ash made an offhand motion. "It doesn't matter. I'll be back." And he strode in the other room, where the phone was still ringing nonstop. He closed the door behind him and turned on the phone. Professor Oak's face filled the screen, just as Ash had expected.

"Hello, Ash…," Professor Oak began.

"Hey, Professor. What's up?"

"Uh, nothing much. I just heard from Gary that you called…earlier… I was just wondering what was so important."

"You know, I really hope the phone company isn't charging you per minute on this call," Ash commented dryly.

"Why?"

"Because I have a really long story for you. The reason I called last night—or early this morning, was because I needed your help—your advice. Because Misty said that if anyone knew what to do, it'd be you, so of course I had to call you. And since I couldn't get to sleep last night, and I thought you might've still been at the lab—"

"Ash, you're babbling."

Ash took a deep breath. "Yeah, sorry." He ran a hand through his hair.

"Tell me what the problem is," Professor Oak said, beginning to get a little worried.

Ash took another deep breath. "Okay…okay…" And he began his story again, starting on that one faithful morning that was great until Team Rocket came stomping in on their machine…

------------------------

Ash sat back and sighed. "And here I am now." He looked at the professor pleadingly. "Please, Professor. You have to know _something_ that can help me." He had finished telling the professor just about everything. Well, almost everything. He left out all the parts where he got injured…

Professor Oak stayed silent for a long time. It was quite the situation. He thought about it long and hard… "Do you know where Pikachu is now?"

Ash sighed again. "No. And I probably won't for a while. Caroline and Norman won't let me leave."

Professor Oak raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Ash could have smacked himself. He blew it. "Well, uh……" He looked away. "Have you heard anything on the 'Petalburg Disaster'?"

"It's been all over TV," the professor replied carefully.

"Well… The 'culprits' were Team Rocket. I was there." Ash turned his gaze to his hands. "I kinda got a little…injured."

Professor Oak's eyes widened as realization hit him. Could Ash really have been the one that had saved Norman? Got hurt by two grenades? Injured terribly? "Ash…… You must be pretty badly injured if Caroline and Norman won't let you leave."

Ash shrugged slightly.

"Tell me your mother knows about this."

Ash's eyes shot to the professor's. "No. No way. She'd kill me. She'd drag me home and never let me leave, no matter what happened to Pikachu."

"She's your _mother_, Ash. She _needs_ to know!"

"Professor, _please!_" Ash begged. "Don't tell her! Please… You can't! I've got to get Pikachu back, Professor. I'm not just letting this whole thing go! I'm going to _hunt_ Team Rocket down and get back my pokémon! I need your help! Pikachu won't listen to me anymore. If I get within two feet of him, he'll Thunder me."

The professor sighed deeply. "This has never happened before. At least, this has never happened as far as I know. I honestly don't know what to do. The only thing I suggest is somehow catching Pikachu—without a pokéball, that is—and bring him somewhere safe and have a nice, long trip down memory lane."

Ash rubbed his temples, trying to massage away the headache that was threatening to overthrow him again. "Okay… That doesn't sound so bad… But how should I get Pikachu?"

"Well, I guess the easiest way to get him would be to make him faint."

"You mean _attack_ him! You know I would never do that."

"It's the only way, Ash. Faint him, grab him, get his memory back. He'll thank you later, I'm sure. I know that your pokémon probably wouldn't stand much of a chance against Pikachu's Thunder attack… But if they all work together…"

"Yeah…maybe… I bet I could get—" Ash shook his head, cutting himself off. "I mean…sure…"

"But don't think you're off the hook!" Professor Oak said suddenly. "Your mother needs to know about this, and if you don't call her in three days, I'm going to tell her myself."

"But Professor…"

"I'm sorry, Ash, but how would you like it if I knew your mother was injured, and I didn't tell _you_ about it? Would you like that?"

Ash sighed. "Fine…fine… You can tell her, because I'm _not_. Thanks for your advice, Professor. I'll talk to you soon."

"……" There was no response from the other end of the line, and Ash thought the professor looked like he was deep in thought.

"O—kay… Goodbye, Professor."

"Goodbye, Ash."

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dear oh dear!

Okay, the next chapter is coming...well, that's up to you, now isn't it? The more reviews i get, the faster I update! YAY.

-still prays for dark storylines for my shows this fall...-


	20. Chapter 20

Look at me, I'm so fast! (zoom, zoom, zoom!) Okay, here's the next chapter! (cookies for all reviewers, veggies for all non-reviewers...)

I don't own Pokemon... (sobs) I can't even watch it anymore... How am I supposed to write new, fresh angst Pokemon stories if I can't even watch it? Tell me that!

Okay, just read now...

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"So, Ash… It turned out to really be for you…," May stated when Ash came back into the kitchen. "I can tell, since you took so _long_."

"Oh, yeah, it was for me alright," Ash replied, grabbing his glass of water and finishing it off in one gulp.

"Who was it?" Brock asked.

"Professor Oak," Ash responded nonchalantly.

"And…? What'd he say? Does he know what to do?" Misty inquired.

"Well, after I told him most of my very long story… He had a…suggestion…"

"Well?" Misty and May said in unison.

"He said the only way he could think of was to somehow get catch Pikachu—without a pokéball—and make him go down memory lane… He suggested that I make him faint first, so I don't get hurt," Ash finally said.

"Easy," said Drew coolly. "Just make all of your pokémon attack Pikachu, make him faint, get rid of those Team Rocket junkie guys… And voila! Easy Pikachu."

"Yeah, but if I know Ash, he won't want to attack Pikachu," May pointed out. "Right, Ash?"

"Yeah…… But I guess I have to……"

"Once we get out of here, we can do that," Misty stated. "And we'll have Pikachu back in no time."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… Where'd all this 'we' stuff come from?" Ash demanded. "You guys should know by now that I don't want yah coming with me. It's too dangerous…"

Misty shot out of her chair and came around the table to stare Ash in the face. "And I think _you_ should know by now that I don't want you to give us that shit! _We're_ going to get out of here, and _we're_ going to get Pikachu back _together_."

Ash clenched his fists at his sides angrily. He didn't even _bother_ trying to explain it to them again. He didn't want to do this but…… He was probably going to have to run from them again. Ash sighed inwardly. He really wished they would understand, and he bet they wished the same exact thing.

Misty placed her hands on her hips. "Good. It's settled then. When Norman and Caroline let us leave, we'll all go and find Team Rocket."

A thought struck Ash right then and there. _I do need help finding Team Rocket…… Maybe if we just find out where they are… I can take it from there…_

"…Um… Not to rain on anyone's parade but… I've got a contest to go to, you know," Drew said. "It's the day after tomorrow, and I'd really like to win my fifth ribbon."

Misty sighed. What more did she expect from Drew? He didn't know Ash, nor did he like him. "Fine. I'll call the helicopter again and get you back to Mossdeep tomorrow. Anyone else care to go?"

Indecisiveness chewed away at May's insides. She wanted to find Pikachu… But she wanted to go with Drew as well… If he were to get too far away, who'd know when she'd see him next? She had been thinking about him so much over the past few days… She'd never forget how he was there for her when Beautifly almost died… "I'm going too," May finally said.

"But, May!" Max protested. "Don't you wanna help Ash too?"

May instantly began to feel guilty for speaking up at all.

"No, let her go. She's got a contest to go to. Let her follow her dream. Don't get caught up in my problems," Ash said flatly.

"Thanks, Ash." May looked to Drew. "Then it's you and me."

Drew smiled slightly and nodded a little. "Right."

Max was dumbfounded. How could May even _think_ about contests now? Unless… _Was Brock right? Does May really like Drew? Ewwww…_

"We'll call you a day or two after our contest," Drew said. "So we can meet back up."

May nodded in agreement and found herself wondering what it would be like traveling just with Drew…

------------

"See yah later, May," Ash said. "And good luck with your contest."

"Get back Pikachu, okay, Ash? Call me when you do," May replied, getting on the helicopter. She waved goodbye to her parents and brother, and Misty and Brock as well.

Minutes later, the group was back inside the house.

Ash waited a few minutes before looking at Caroline and Norman and saying, "So…… Since it's been awhile…"

Caroline sighed. "You're wondering if you can go off again. After only _five_ days here. Ash, you got injured by not one, but _two_ grenades. What do you think I'm going to say?"

"But…… You don't understand, I feel much better now!"

"Uh-huh. You don't _look_ too much better. And you wounds don't look too much better either."

Ash sighed. "That's different. Although I may not _look_ it, I really am feeling better. Better than a few days ago… My cuts are beginning to heal, and my burns are beginning to disappear… I can't even feel them anymore!"

"Ash—"

"Caroline," Norman interjected, "let the kid go. He's on a mission, and I very much doubt that he cares about what kind of physical condition he's in. I just know that Team Rocket's trail is getting cold, and if you keep him here much longer, he'll lose the scent completely."

Caroline slumped in defeat. "Fine… Just stay overnight, okay? Leave tomorrow… But call me the second you get Pikachu back, okay?" And she left.

Ash nodded a thanks to Norman, for he was truly grateful. He then went into the living room, where Brock, Misty and Max were waiting.

"We're leaving tomorrow, you guys," Ash announced, practically throwing himself on the couch next to Misty. He then looked to Max warily. "Um… No offense, Max… But…"

Max glared. "Don't try to leave me out of this because I'm too young. I'm _not_!"

Ash sighed. "Fine." _It doesn't really matter, since I'm ditching you guys anyway…………… Wait, that didn't come out right…_ "So do you guys have any idea where Team Rocket _might_ be?"

"Yeah. Mauville City," Misty said bluntly.

"Um… You really think so?"

"I _know_ so. I heard on the news that people in Mauville spotted a suspicious-looking hot air balloon floating toward them." Misty shrugged. "I guess now that the 'Petalburg Disaster' is old news, the news people will go after anything."

"It'll take us at least two days to get there though," Brock pointed out. "Do you think they'll still be there by then?"

"Maybe…," Ash said softly. "But it'd take us two days to get there if we were traveling our usual twelve hour walking, right?"

Brock nodded.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm not just walking half the day. I will walk all day and all night. I'm not going to stop until I get there," Ash stated forcefully. He looked to the others again. "You do know that, right?"

Misty rolled her eyes. "We guessed as much."

Ash nodded, got up, and began to pace back and forth. "And we've got to get those other peoples' pokémon back. Like Norman's Slaking." He rubbed his shoulder with one hand, still not used to having nothing there.

Misty noticed this, and knew why. She watched Ash pace back and forth, rubbing that spot where Pikachu was supposed to be. She knew he must be feeling stressed. Who wouldn't? _There's a bright side though,_ Misty mused. _At least we're getting Pikachu back soon. Then this will all be over. And I'll have to—_ Misty cut her thoughts off. _I'll…I'll have to go back to Cerulean?_ She looked back to Ash and instantly felt sadness sweep over her. _I don't want to go back…_

"Yes. We'll leave right and early. Tomorrow. At nine. Right after breakfast," Ash said firmly, leaving no room for the others to argue. And before anyone could respond to his statement, he left the room.

"Wow, I guess he's sure pumped," Max commented. "Giving out orders like that…"

"I guess since he didn't want us to come in the first place, he decided he has to have as much control over the situation as possible," Misty said thoughtfully, leaning forward and resting her chin in her hands and propping her elbows on her knees.

"Yeah… But as much as I want to help get Pikachu back, I'm not looking forward to walking all day long." Max yawned loudly. "Just _thinking_ about it makes me tired. Walking all night? It was bad enough we had to walk all day!"

"Hey, I'm not looking forward to it either," Brock said. "But we don't have a choice right now. Unless you want Ash to go to Mauville _alone?"_

"No……"

"Good. Because after all the stuff that happened to him, I'm not gonna leave him alone," Misty exclaimed, her eyebrows creasing. "And I'm _not_ going to let him run away from us again."

--------------------------

"Please wake up? Come on…" Ash shook Misty lightly.

Misty groaned loudly and looked at the clock. "It's only eight thirty! I thought you said we were leaving at _nine_!"

"I just_ thought_ I'd wake you up now because I _thought_ you'd want to take a shower before we leave. But fine, if you don't, I'll just wake you up later." He left the room and went downstairs. Brock and Max were already up, and Brock was making scrambled eggs and bacon for everyone for breakfast. Caroline was helping Brock a little, and Max was waiting patiently at the table.

Ash sat down himself and instantly fell into his own deep thoughts. He had spent most of the night pacing mentally, thinking over how he could try and get Pikachu. He didn't find himself sleepy at all, and found it almost impossible to sleep.

"Ash? Earth to Ash? Come in…" Brock waved his hand in front of Ash's face, trying to get his attention.

Ash blinked a few times. "Huh? What is it, Brock?"

"I _asked_ if you knew if Misty was up or not."

"Oh…… I don't know. I tried waking her up, but she just yelled at me."

"I'm guessing she does that a lot?" Max asked.

"Oh, sure. What else is there to do? Yelling at me or arguing with me is her hobby," Ash answered. "She…" His sentence trailed off. _She's great. Even though we argue all the time… She's still great…_ Suddenly, Ash felt himself get whacked upside the head, and he whirled around to see Misty. "What was _that_ for!"

She glared at him. "_That _was for taking up all the hot water!"

"But—but I took my shower _hours_ ago! If anyone took up all the hot water, it would be Brock, because he just took his shower an hour ago!" Ash protested, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, it was me," Brock said.

All Misty said was, "Okay."

Ash was bewildered. "_What!_ When you think _I_ took up all the water, you whack me, and when you find out Brock used up all the hot water, you just say _'okay'_! _'Okay'!_ Why can't he get a whack too?"

"Because I already whacked you. I'm all out for right now," Misty replied calmly, her expression amused.

Ash shook his head angrily, still rubbing his head. _Great. And I thought my headache was bad already. It's going to be ringing all day…_

Brock looked at him sympathetically and shrugged, as if saying, 'that's Misty alright.'

Ash sighed and looked at Caroline. "You've been great… We're going to leave right after this, okay?"

Caroline smiled wryly. "Okay. Just be really careful. I wouldn't want you to get hurt by them again. And, _Max_"—she turned her stare to her son—"you behave yourself! Stay by the others and don't get lost… Don't go near those Team Rocket people. Stay by Brock, okay?"

Max groaned in exasperation. "I get the point, Mom, and don't worry. Me and the others will be okay."

"I know…… I'm still worried though."

"I'll take care of them, Caroline," Brock reassured. "I'm not going to let your son or anyone else get hurt."

Ash shoveled the last bit of his breakfast in his mouth and stood up. "Well, I'm ready to go." He looked around the table to see that the others apparently weren't done with breakfast. He gave an inward shrug. "I'll wait outside then…" And with that, he left the house.

Max looked at his mother. "And, Mom, if May calls, be sure to tell her where we are. She'll probably want to know."

Caroline nodded slowly and looked to them worriedly. "And just make sure Ash doesn't push himself too hard, okay? I just get the feeling…"

"And your feeling is right on," Misty said. "I _know_ Ash will be too hard on himself……"

------------------------

"Don't fall too far behind, guys," Ash advised, keeping a brisk pace in the direction of Mauville City. It was eight in the evening, and Ash was sure they'd be there by tomorrow if they just kept walking. He had even let his pokémon out earlier. He filled them in on what was happening. He just thought they should know…

"But, Ash…," Max moaned. "I'm _tired_."

Ash stopped and turned around to his three friends, who were twenty feet behind him. "I warned you."

Max only yawned in response, his eyelids drooping.

"Come on, Max, hop on," Brock said, picking up Max and carrying him piggyback style.

Misty yawned as well. "What were you thinking, Ash? Waking us up early this morning and expecting us to walk all day? You should have let us sleep more."

"Sleep more? I slept for three hours last night, and you don't see me complaining, now do you?"

Misty rolled her eyes. "That's because you're…like in a completely different zone from the rest of us."

Ash turned back around. "Well, if you guys want to rest, go ahead. I'm just going to keep walking until I get to Mauville. It won't be my problem if you fall behind. Just don't get into any trouble…" He began to walk once again.

Brock, carrying the now asleep Max, looked at Misty and shrugged.

Misty gestured forward, as if asking, 'should we keep going?'

Brock nodded and started forward, trying his best to catch up with Ash. He wouldn't let his friend get too far ahead. If he got to Mauville before the rest of them did… If he confronted Team Rocket alone… Brock knew there was a chance that Ash would probably get hurt. "Wait up, Ash!" he called out.

Ash cast a small glance over his shoulder, spotting his friends. _Misty's right. I shouldn't be pushing them so hard,_ he thought. _But I can't let Team Rocket get away from me again. I can't fail again._

_----------------------------------_

_Evil voice from a distance - Thank you for reading, my friends. The next chapter is doom, DOOM!_

Me - Um, not really... It's just important, so don't miss it!


	21. Chapter 21

Oooh, I'm sorry to keep you waiting, guys. I've just been posting alot of other stuff, so... sorry!

Important chapter here, impoooooooorrrtant...

I don't own Pokemon. I haven't even been able to watch an episode in months...

Here we goooo..

* * *

The four entered Mauville at noon the next day. Everything _seemed_ well…

Ash led the way to the Mauville City Gym, where he spotted a handful of people gathering around the entrance.

"Don't worry, everyone! We're going to get all those pokémon back! We've just got to prepare!" called a voice. "Go home! We'll call you all back to return your pokémon!"

"That's Watt's voice," Brock stated, and Ash nodded in agreement.

"Team Rocket was already here," Ash spat. "They already stole people's pokémon." He saw the crowd slowly and sadly walk away, and he came up to where Watt was standing.

"Ash? What are you doing here?" he asked, seeming somewhat confused.

Ash dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "It's a long story. Where's Wattson?"

Watt shook his head. "He's inside getting more pokémon. Team Rocket came and stole some peoples'… They stole Wattson's Manectric, and my Ampharos." Watt cocked his head to one side. "What was weird about it though, they defeated our pokémon with a Pikachu that looked exactly like yours…"

Ash turned away, his eyebrows creasing. "Don't worry, Watt, we'll get those pokémon back. Do you know where Team Rocket is now?"

Watt nodded. "Yeah… It was weird. They told us where they would be. It was like they _wanted_ us to come after them."

Ash nodded as well. "Probably to steal more pokémon."

"They're a mile or two north of Mauville."

Just then, a man came out of the Mauville Gym. "Here, Watt, catch!" And the man threw a pokéball to Watt. He then laid his eyes on the four newcomers. "Ash! What's the reason for stopping by this time? I hope you didn't expect a battle…"

"I told Ash what happened," Watt exclaimed. "He can help us out."

Wattson fingered the pokéball he had in his hand. "Those dirty thieves stole my Manectric." Wattson suddenly smiled. "But they won't beat my Electabuzz. I gave you Jolteon, Watt. And, Ash, your Pikachu can help out too. I'm sure your Pikachu can beat theirs."

Ash walked away from them a few steps. "Pikachu's…not around, Wattson."

Wattson threw a curious look at Ash's back and kept silent, sensing that something wasn't right.

"They didn't steal your Pikachu, did they?" Watt inquired.

Ash was silent, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. _They didn't steal him…_

"We don't have the time to tell you about—about all that. We've got to catch up to Team Rocket before they get away!" Misty exclaimed, trying to snap everyone back into reality.

Watt nodded. "By the way, where's May?"

"She's in Mossdeep City for a contest with a friend. Misty's with us though," Max replied.

"It's nice to meet you, Misty," Wattson said, leading the group north. "I'm sure Team Rocket is just waiting for us to walk into their trap… I suggest we try and faint their Pikachu first, because it seems to be the strongest of the group." Wattson paused. "I don't remember them having a Pikachu………… Unless…" He looked to Ash again questioningly. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"As Misty said, we don't have time to explain. And, yes, I agree that we should try to faint Pikachu first. Team Rocket is _not_ afraid to use his attacks _directly_ on you or the rest of us," Ash stated monotonously. "So be careful."

Wattson wondered if Ash knew that Pikachu would use attacks on them from first-hand experience. He also wondered _why_. There were so many why's, what's, and how's in his mind about the whole Pikachu situation. He expected Ash would tell him later…

_This is it. I'm going to get Pikachu back today. All I have to do is faint him and get him. After that, it'll be just easy_, Ash thought. _After that, everything will go back to normal._

"That, apparently, is what we're looking for," Brock said a few minutes later, pointing to a tent a few yards away. It had a huge red 'R' on it.

"What are we waiting for then?" Ash asked impatiently, getting irritated. He started forward, only to feel the ground disappear beneath him. He fell several feet before landing hard on the ground. "Ow…," he groaned, trying not to move.

"Ash? Are you alright?" Misty's head appeared in the opening of the hole, about fifteen feet higher than where Ash was now.

Ash spit out dirt. "I've been through worse." He rubbed his head and looked up. "Um…mind helping me out?"

Misty was about to reply when the group heard something—something _very_ familiar.

"Prepare for trouble, we've got the Pikachu!"

"Make it double, 'cause we're gonna attack you!"

Misty threw Ash a helpless look, telling him that they would be too busy battling to help him out at the second.

Ash glared. "Fine." He threw his pokéballs up, where Max caught them. "At least my pokémon can help, since I'm apparently useless."

"—Meowth, that's right!"

"Pikachu!"

"Wooooooooooobuffet!"

Wattson nodded to the others and threw his pokéball. "Electabuzz, help us out!"

"Jolteon, go!" Watt called.

Brock selected his pokémon next. "Forretress, let's go!"

"Gyarados, I choose you!" Misty let out the ferocious pokémon.

"And I choose Grovyle!" Max let out Ash's grass pokémon.

"Five!" Jessie screeched. "That'll be a great addition to our collection! Pikachu, use Thunder on all of them!"

"Piiikaa—chu!" The little mouse pokémon discharged a surprising amount of energy on all of the opposing pokémon.

Gyarados took heavy damage, but was still going. The other pokémon only took about half damage. Forretress didn't look too good, because Pikachu's attack took a critical.

"Jolteon, Quick Attack!"

"Electabuzz, Thunder Punch!"

"Flamethrower, Gyarados!"

"Grovyle, you use Leaf Blade attack!"

"Tackle, Forretress!"

Jessie and James raised their eyebrows in unison. "So you're actually _attacking_ us this time!" James asked, slightly amused. "Pikachu. Dodge all of that with Quick Attack."

Pikachu did as he was told. He seemed to squirm out of the way of each and every attack. Gyarados's attack accidentally hit Forretress, making the pokémon faint.

Misty apologized to Brock for her pokémon's mistake, and Brock just let out Lombre.

James sighed, seeing that they had only gotten rid of one pokémon so far. At least there was no twerp trying to strangle him again. _That_ twerp was in a deep pit. James let out a small laugh. "Use Thunder again, Pikachu!"

Both Lombre and Gyarados fainted. Being part Water type, of course they were weak against Electric type attacks. Both Misty and Brock returned their pokémon. Brock then hesitantly let out Mudkip.

Electabuzz and Jolteon were now critically hurt. They obviously weren't fully trained, and weren't ready for this kind of battle yet. The attack completely missed Grovyle, who had gracefully dodged the attack.

"Crap. I only brought Gyarados!" Misty said, anger boiling up inside her. Ash was right, Pikachu _was_ good enough to take care of Gyarados.

"Here, Misty!" Max shouted, tossing one of Ash's pokéballs at her.

Misty looked at the pokéball curiously, and then back at the younger member of their team. "I don't know any of the attacks! I don't know a lot of these pokémon!"

"That one's Torkoal!" And Max explained Torkoal's attacks as quickly as he could.

"Okay…… Torkoal, come on out!" Torkoal formed at Misty's feet. He instantly took in the situation.

"Electabuzz, use Thunder Punch one last time!"

"Double Kick, Jolteon!"

"Mudkip, let's hit him with a Water Gun!"

"Bullet Seed! Let's go, Grovyle!"

"Torkoal, use Flamethrower!"

Jessie's eyes flashed. "Zap that Water Gun, Pikachu!"

Pikachu's cheeks sparked. He let the Water Gun hit him, but then sent a jolt of electricity through it. The electrified water hit Mudkip and made the little baby pokémon faint.

"Easy as fainting a baby pokémon!" James cried out triumphantly. But to his dismay, he saw the other four attacks hit Pikachu dead on. The combination of not one, but _four_ attacks cost Pikachu a lot. "Pikachu! Use Thunder again!"

"Pika…pika…pi…" Pikachu panted. "Pikac…pikach…pika—CHU!"

This time Pikachu downed Electabuzz, Jolteon, and Grovyle.

Max let out both Swellow and Corphish. He looked to the others nervously. "What happens if we lose?"

Wattson shook his head. "Don't think about that. Look at Pikachu. He's really tired. He's injured. He can't go on for much longer."

Max nodded. "Swellow, Wing Attack! Corphish, Bubblebeam!"

"Torkoal, Overheat!"

Ash heard this from where he sat and pounded the wall of the pit. "Damn it, Misty, don't use _that_ when Pikachu's so tired!" He hissed to himself. He hated not being able to be up there. His rage was slowly building…

"Dodge that, Pikachu!" Jessie and James called out in unison.

"Pi…pikachu…" Pikachu couldn't dodge. He got hit with all of the attacks. "Chuuuuu!" he cried, falling off from where he was perched and beginning to fall.

Misty watched the pokémon fall, and deduced that Pikachu would fall into the pit where Ash was… "Ash! Pikachu's coming your way!"

Ash stood up and saw a yellow blob falling into the pit. He caught Pikachu easily and sat back down, cradling the little pokémon in his arms.

"Pikachu…are you okay?"

"Pika! Pi, pikachu!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked, but he didn't have the strength to give Ash a Thunderbolt.

"Pikachu, you've got to remember me!" Ash said, looking deep into the pokémon's eyes. "Don't you remember? Why can't you—why can't you remember?" He sighed, seeing that Pikachu was still trying to inflict some kind of pain on him. "I want to tell you a little story. It was a few years ago when I was ten. I was about to go on my pokémon journey, except I slept in, so when I came to Professor Oak's lab, he had already given away all the other starter pokémon… He said that he had another one, but it wasn't too tame. I took it anyway. It was…it was a Pikachu."

"You may have beaten Pikachu, but we've still got all of our stolen pokémon!" James yelled. He, Jessie, and Meowth began running back to where they stashed the stolen pokémon. James and Jessie let out their pokémon to distract the others.

With a little help from Torkoal, Misty, Brock, Max, Watt, and Wattson took out Cacnea and Dustox. Seviper slithered off somewhere, and the group didn't bother giving chase.

"Do yah think Ash'll be okay down in that pit alone with Pikachu?" Max asked.

"Pikachu doesn't have the strength to use any of his attacks," Brock pointed out. "Ash is perfectly safe. We've just got to focus on getting back those stolen pokémon."

"And that's how we won our Feather Badge, Pikachu. After that, we—"

"Pikapi?" Pikachu gasped suddenly. "Pikapi! Pikapi!" Pikachu eyes watered. "Pi—Pikapi!"

"Pikachu! You remember!" Ash knew this was the real deal this time. Only _his_ Pikachu would call him 'Pikapi'.

Pikachu began to cry into Ash's shirt. "Pi pika, Pikapi… Pik chu pi!"

Ash rubbed Pikachu's back. "It's okay… It's okay…" His eyes watered as well. He was so happy he could shout out to the world that his pokémon remembered him now. His best friend knew who he was again. "I missed you so much, Pikachu. I thought I lost you…"

"Pi pika…" Pikachu kept crying. He sniffed a few times and looked up at Ash, who was smiling slightly, a few stray tears running down his face. "Pika! PI PIKACHU!" Pikachu yelled, drawing an 'R' in the dirt.

Ash nodded. "When we get out of here, and you regain your strength, we'll give them a nice Thunder attack, okay?"

"Pika…" And Pikachu collapsed in Ash's arms.

"Just hang in there until we get to a pokémon center…" Ash stroked Pikachu's back. How he had missed his best friend. How he had missed Pikachu being _there_ all the time. But now that Ash had Pikachu back, it was all going to change. It was all going to go back to normal. He felt like he could take on any and all trainers in the world, with just Pikachu by his side. Ash smiled again. He had to let out the happiness somehow. Tears of joy didn't exactly cut it.

* * *

THANK GOD, PIKACHU!

That's the end of the story! Yay!

(Just kidding, just kidding!) Are you kidding me? I can't end it there... Although I kinda wish I did... oh, jeez... you're all gonna kill me...oh man...

Please review..., because after the next chapter...um...

(runs and hides)


	22. Chapter 22

I'm sooooo sorry for not updating in a long time. Hell has come to earth. It has taken the form of school. And dammit, mom is a freakin slavedriver!

I get a really bad feeling about how certain people are going to take this chapter. No, this is not the last chapter, no, no, no! Of course not.

and unfortunantly Canyx, heh...I...eh, i was in a verrrrrrrrrrrrrry angsty mood when i wrote this whole story, so there will be more angst. I'm just an angst-fanatic. I really should be rewriting, finishing, etc the sequel...oh dear...

But hey, guys, do you remember the warning I had at the end of the first chapter? Yeah, welllllllllllllllllllllll...

I DON'T OWN POKEMON!

Long chapter! YAY!

* * *

"Manectric, use Thunderbolt!" Wattson commanded. He and the others had made it to where Team Rocket had stored the stolen pokéballs, and Wattson had found Manectric.

Manectric did as he was told, and Team Rocket got hit dead on.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again……!" And Team Rocket disappeared.

Misty smiled. "Now _that's_ what I like to hear!" She grabbed up a few pokéballs and told the others to do the same.

"Here's Ampharos!" Watt cried happily, holding up a pokéball.

"And here's Dad's Slaking!" Max exclaimed, carrying another pokéball.

Brock hauled up the sack that was carrying the rest of the pokéballs and followed the others out of there. "We better help Ash now. I hope he and Pikachu are doing good…with each other that is…"

"Do you think Pikachu still doesn't remember?" Max asked.

"I don't know," Brock replied frankly. He then saw Watt and Wattson giving them all puzzled looks. "You know… I think it's about time we let you two in on the story…"

* * *

"And remember that time when we were in the Johto League, and we were battling Harrison's Kecleon? That was _great_ how you grabbed onto Kecleon's _tongue_ and shocked him!" Ash said happily.

"Pika pika…," Pikachu replied with a smile. "Pik, pikachu pika pi pikachu. Pika pi pika kapi—" He cut himself off and began to sniff at the air.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika…," Pikachu growled.

Ash spotted what Pikachu smelled. At the mouth of the hole, Jessie's Seviper looked down at them predatorily. Ash frowned at looked back at Pikachu, whose cheeks were throwing off weak sparks. "You aren't going up there, Pikachu. You're too weak to battle. I'm _not_ going to let you get hurt."

"Pika _pika_ pikachu! Pika ka pikachu!" Pikachu shouted, climbing up out of the pit before Ash could grab him.

"Pikachu, _no_!" Ash yelled.

"Seviper!" Seviper cried triumphantly, engaging in battle with Pikachu. The snake pokémon wrapped her long body around Pikachu and squeezed tightly, making the little electric-mouse grunt in protest.

"Pika pika…," Pikachu said menacingly, trying to summon enough power for a Thunderbolt. Nothing was doing though. He did manage to gather enough strength to push himself out of Seviper's Wrap attack.

"Se sev seviper vipe viper?" Seviper hissed. She then made the weird purring-like noise that Sevipers sometimes make. She then lunged forward with a Bite attack.

A Bite attack that missed Pikachu by inches. Pikachu sweat dropped. He knew he didn't have enough energy for even his Quick Attack. But Team Rocket was going to pay for what they made Ash go through…… "Pi pikachu!"

"Seviper!" Seviper's sword-like tail began to glow purple, and she slashed down on Pikachu mercilessly.

Ash was trying desperately to get out of the pit, but he just couldn't. He just kept digging his fingers into the dirt wall, trying to get a handhold. The wall was too solid. His fingers were almost bleeding in the effort. He then heard something—something that felt like a shot to the heart.

"Piiiikaaaaa!" Pikachu screamed in pure pain.

Ash had no idea what had happened. "Pikachu?! Pikachu, answer me! Are you alright?"

There was no response.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled again.

This time he heard a satisfied Seviper-purr. Jessie's pokémon slithered back over to the opening of the hole and began to crawl in.

Ash backed up into the wall, getting as far away as he could. _What happened to Pikachu? Where is he?!_ he thought, beginning to panic.

"Se seviper…" Seviper slowly made her way over to where Ash was and began to creep around him.

"Get away!" Ash ordered, trying again to get out of the hole.

Seviper let out a purr that sounded like she was laughing. She pulled her long body slowly around Ash and began to squeeze.

"I said _get away_!" Ash cried, trying to push Seviper's coils off him. No use. The snake was just too strong. Seviper pulled around him tighter and tighter, making it hard for Ash to breath. He shuddered at the touch of Seviper's cold scaly skin, and found himself staring straight into nasty red eyes.

"Seviper," Seviper hissed, squeezing tighter. "Viper…"

Ash began to gasp for breath, and Seviper started to purr.

Ash looked at Seviper's face. Saw those beady red eyes. Saw those wickedly long fangs. Saw that tongue flickering in and out of her mouth in that reptile way. His lungs were burning now; spots were swimming in and out of his vision. His arms were pinned at his sides, so he had no hope of escape. No hope of escape from those cold scales that were forcing the life out of him.

_No one's here to save me now,_ Ash thought. _This is really it. I'm going to die. And I always thought I wouldn't die alone. I always thought…… I just hope Pikachu is alright… He'll take care of the others for me… I hope they don't think that this is their fault…… I hope Mom will be okay without me……_

His lungs were on fire, and Ash thought that they would explode. He didn't find out if they did, though, because he fell deep into unconsciousness.

* * *

"That's…a very interesting story…" Wattson drew the sentence out. He and the other were walking slowly back to where Ash was waiting for them, and Brock had filled him and Watt in on the whole story.

Brock shrugged. "Ash warned that it was a long story. I just think he doesn't want to talk about it. He never does."

Wattson nodded. "I understand that."

"And speaking of Ash, I think he's going to get annoyed with us if we leave him in that pit," Misty said.

Brock nodded and led the way to the hole at a quicker pace.

A minute or two later, Max said, "What's that?" He pointed to a small puddle of blood that was pooling around—

"Pikachu!" Misty cried out, running to the little mouse pokémon. She knelt down beside him and examined him. There was a deep slash from the little pokémon's left shoulder down to his right hip.

"Pikapi…," Pikachu let out, his breathing shallow. "Pikapi…Pikapi…"

"It's me, Pikachu. Misty."

"Pikachupi? Pik… Pikapi, Pikachupi…"

Misty heard a loud gasp from behind her, and turned to see Max and the others looking into the pit.

"Manectric! Go down there and use Bite attack on Seviper!" Wattson called out. "Get that thing out of there!"

"Manectric!" Manectric exclaimed, leaping into the hole and returning back out with Seviper's tail in his jaws. The electric dog pokémon tossed Seviper and hit her with a Thunderbolt, sending her 'blasting off'.

"Ash? Oh, God…" Brock leapt into the hole as well, and helping out a limp Ash.

Misty gasped. "What happened?!"

"Seviper was using Wrap on Ash!" Max explained. "She was squeezing his ribcage too much, and he probably couldn't breathe… He must have fallen unconscious…"

"We need to help him… Him and Pikachu!"

The others' eyes widened at the sight of Pikachu, and Misty's eyes watered. "I don't know… I don't know if he's going to make it…"

"Pikapi…Pikapi…Pikapi…," Pikachu murmured over and over again.

Misty gathered him up in her arms and looked to the others. "I'm taking him to the pokémon center right away! You guys take care of Ash." And before waiting for an answer, she fled.

* * *

Ash felt himself being ripped from unconsciousness, and he instantly remembered what happened. His eyes snapped open, and he shot straight up, making Max, Brock, Watt, and Wattson stare at him. Ash looked around and took a few deep breaths, trying to will his heartbeat to go down.

"Ash, are you okay?" Brock asked.

Ash swallowed and nodded quickly, still looking around nervously. "Where—where's Pikachu?"

The other four looked to each other uneasily, no one wanting to tell Ash what kind of shape Pikachu was in.

"And where's Misty?" Ash persisted, not getting a good feeling about the looks that were present on everyone's face.

"She's at the pokémon center—with Pikachu," Brock answered as calmly as he could manage.

"So Pikachu's going to be okay? I don't know what happened while he was battling Seviper, but I heard—I heard this—this awful…"

"I know this will be hard to take, Ash, but Pikachu……is pretty badly injured," Wattson said tentatively.

Ash's eyes flashed slightly. "Then what are we waiting for? We gotta get to the pokémon center!" And he pushed himself off the ground, ignoring the soreness in his ribs. He considered himself lucky that he didn't break any. He led the way, his head spinning with thoughts of what could have happened to Pikachu…

When Ash and the others came into the pokémon center, Ash instantly spotted Misty sitting in one of the chairs, looking worried. Ash looked to Brock, Max, and Wattson before sitting down next to Misty. Watt had taken the stolen pokéballs, planning to send them to their trainers.

"Ash, are you okay?" Misty asked once she noticed the raven-haired teen. There were streaks down her face, showing that she had been crying recently.

Ash nodded slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine… But is Pikachu alright…?"

"Terribly injured," Misty answered flatly, trying to keep any emotion out of her voice. "Nurse Joy told me that she would tell us when she was done examining him… She says she'll do the best she can."

"She's not sure if he's going to make it, isn't she?"

Misty couldn't bring herself to lie to Ash, so she nodded sadly.

Ash's head tipped low at once. _What if Pikachu… What if he doesn't make it? What'll happen? He can't just DIE!_

"Ash Ketchum, may I speak to you please?" It was Nurse Joy, who had come out of the back room and was now at her desk.

Ash uneasily went over to her. "Is Pikachu going to be okay?"

Nurse Joy frowned and looked down. "I'm very sorry, Ash… But Pikachu was seriously injured… He lost way too much blood. I'm doing all that I can, but I suggest you start saying your goodbyes…"

Ash pounded his fist on her desk. "You can't just let him _die!_ He _can't_!"

Nurse Joy sighed. "I'm very, very, sorry… There's just nothing I can do to help. It wouldn't matter what I did, he would still……die…"

"No……" The word seemed to echo in Ash's mind. He looked as if he were in a daze, and he said, "Let the others say goodbye first… I'll go last."

Nurse Joy nodded slowly and went to tell the others about it. A few minutes later, she led Misty into the back room where Pikachu was.

* * *

Misty stood over where Pikachu lay, tears pouring down her face.

"Pikachupi?" Pikachu breathed out.

Misty nodded. "Yeah, it's me… I…I just wanna say… You're the most amazing pokémon I've ever met. You're my friend, and I love you… I—I…" She trailed off, giving Pikachu one last fleeting glance before leaving.

* * *

"You always put up a terrific fight! I'll always admire you for that. And you managed to give me a surprise from time to time!" Wattson let out a half-hearted 'Wahahaha!'.

Pikachu smiled, and Wattson left himself.

* * *

"I didn't know you as long as Misty or Brock did, but I do know you're one great pokémon. You're so strong, and it's like you can do anything," Max said slowly. "I really wish that I can have a really cool and great pokémon like you someday."

"Pika," Pikachu said with a smile.

* * *

"Pikachu, you're the strongest, kindest, bravest pokémon I've ever known. You never give up, just like Ash. It's been great traveling with you…" Brock bowed his head, giving his last goodbye to Pikachu.

* * *

It was finally Ash's turn to say goodbye to Pikachu. He went into the room, to see his little friend lying in a bed, looking terrible… He couldn't hold it in, he just let the tears stream down his face.

"Pikachu," Ash said, taking hold of one of Pikachu's small hands.

"Pikapi…"

"Pikachu…you're my most loyal friend, my best partner in battle. You always understood when I was upset; you were always there for me when others weren't. I always appreciated you, and I'm going to miss you like hell." Ash took a deep and unsteady breath. "You've saved my life more times than I can count, and I can't imagine life without you."

"Pi pika, Pikapi. Pikachu…"

More tears streamed down Ash's face. "Pikachu…please… I can't go on if you're not there with me."

"Pi chu…"

"It wouldn't be the same… I know it won't be the same… Without you"—Ash made a sweeping hand motion—"none of this matters anymore."

"Pikapi…! Pikachu…pi pika pik chu…" Pikachu began to cough, but righted himself and looked Ash straight in the eye. "Pik pika, Pikapi…" He closed his eyes.

Ash felt the limb in his hand fall limp, and within one heartbeat, he knew what had happened. "No…," he whispered, tears still coming. "No, Pikachu…" He watched as his tears fell on the familiar yellow fur that he loved so much. It just wasn't real. It was a nightmare… Ash used his hand to stroke Pikachu. "Pikachu…"

"I'm so sorry," came a voice from behind him, and someone's hand rested on his shoulder.

Ash brushed off the hand, suddenly feeling like there was a huge piece of ice in his stomach. He took out Pikachu's pokéball, and returned the dead body to it.

"What—" Nurse Joy started.

"I want to bury him," Ash stated monotonously. "Unless you have a problem with that."

"Of course not…"

Ash nodded curtly and left the room. He went through the main room without stopping to look at anyone, and went out the door. He was walking away from the pokémon center when he heard Misty call out, "Ash, where're you going?!"

Ash stopped and turned around to stare at her, not caring if she saw his tear-streaked face. "Home, Misty. Home." And he turned to leave again. All he had to do was go to Slateport City, catch a plane to Kanto, and then just go to Pallet Town… Pretty easy since Slateport was just a few miles away…

"But, Ash—" Misty began to protest.

"I'll catch you later, Mist." And with that, he turned his back on her.

* * *

"What do you mean, _gone_?" Brock inquired.

"He's gone, Brock. He just left. Nurse Joy said he took Pikachu's body too. Said he wanted to bury……P-Pikachu…," Misty responded. "We've gotta… We've gotta go to him… He's really upset."

Brock nodded. "I know…"

"I can't believe Pikachu's…" Max let his voice trail off, looking sad. "We've got to…tell Mom and Dad and May… They said they wanted to know when we found him…"

Brock nodded again. "Okay… I'll call them right now…" He strode in the back room where the phone was located and dialed Norman and Caroline's number first. It rang quite a few times before—

"Hello, this is Norman." Norman's face appeared on the screen. He smiled when he saw it was Brock. "Hello, Brock."

"Hi, Norman. I was just calling… I mean, since Caroline wanted to know when we found Pikachu…"

Norman frowned. "I assume you found Pikachu, but something tells me that something happened."

Brock explained what happened to Pikachu. "He just died fifteen minutes ago," he concluded.

Norman was silent for a very long time, looking down. "How's Ash taking it?"

"Not well."

Norman nodded. "You can tell him that Caroline and I are really sorry for what happened…"

"I would if I could… Ash left."

Norman looked up suddenly. "Left? You let him leave in a time like this? Brock, I don't really think that was such a good ide—"

"I know, I know, and we're going to do our best to find him… And besides, I don't think it'll come down to Ash committing suicide…," Brock said softly, knowing that he and Norman were thinking the same thing.

"Just make sure you find him fast, okay? Believe me, when you lose someone that close to you, you feel like you should die too. And he's a teenager…so…"

Brock nodded. "I understand." And after saying goodbye to Norman, he tried calling Mossdeep. He tried calling the pokémon center, except May wasn't there. _I'll have to try again later…_, he thought.

* * *

Ash boarded the airplane and found himself a seat. He was taking the midnight flight back to Kanto. He sat back in his seat and closed his eyes, trying to relax, but failing miserably. Every time he closed his eyes, it all came back to Pikachu. Why did it all lead back to Pikachu? Why did he have to die?

_And if I had grabbed him before he went off to fight Seviper… Or if I had grabbed him before he got amnesia… Or if I had somehow stopped him…_ Ash sighed inwardly. _This is all my fault! I practically killed my best friend!_ He shook his head, trying to think of something else. But all his thoughts still led back to that little electric mouse. How many times had Pikachu helped him through a hard time? How many times had he given Ash hope? Pikachu was _always there_. Pikachu was a part of Ash.

_I've got to get some sleep…got to stop thinking about…about…_ And as if to grant Ash's wish, he instantly fell asleep.

* * *

"Suicide?! Brock, don't even _say_ that!" Misty whispered harshly. "I'm worried as it is, and I don't need you putting phony ideas like _that_ in my mind. I know Ash, and he _wouldn't_ commit suicide."

Brock shrugged. "I know he won't… It's just he's really upset. And people who are really upset tend to make irrational decisions. That's why we have to find Ash."

"He said he was going home," Misty supplied. "You think he went back to Pallet Town?"

"Yeah, probably… We can go to Slateport and catch the next flight tomorrow."

Misty nodded. "Okay… Um…and about Max… Do you think…?"

"I guess he could come with us… Unless he says otherwise. I mean, I told Caroline I'd look after him, so I guess I have to do that until he goes home again. And I doubt he will. And I know that May said that she and Drew would call tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, so I guess if they don't call tomorrow……"

"If they don't call tomorrow, tough crap. I'm not just going to wait here while Ash is off all alone. He _needs_ us Brock, no matter how much he denies it. We're the only ones that can help him through this." Misty sighed, bowing her head. _Or at least, I hope we can help him through this…_

_

* * *

_

Don't kill me, don't kill me, don't kill me...

Please review, becuase otherwise, I'll think that you hate me! (GASP)

...or review, simply, if you want more... Something!


	23. Chapter 23

Hey, guys, i'm finally back again.

Okay, first things first. I'm deeply sorry for taking so long. School has been HELL lately, and I don't have much free time anymore. Thanks to those who were patient. Since I made you wait so long, here is a longer-than-normal chapter. After this, there are only...um...three or four more chapters, i think. Maybe two... Let's just say it's not much.

And to Phillip Clark, hey, man, sorry about the wait. But hey, this is a FAN FICTION. A lot of people just write them for whatever reason, as you probably well know. I don't know how you can take 'Pikachu's death' so hard, especially since it's just a fan fiction and in reality (pokemon reality), Pikachu is very much alive. And, I might note, I am pretty sure that other people have killed Pikachu in their fics, so it's not like I'm the first one. I'm not a coward, I am simply busy. I think a regular person would know that sometimes the authors here can get sidetracked with school or their job or whatever, and not be able to update. This doesn't in any way mean they are cowardly. So you can scew me as much as you want, but if you really hate the story so much, just go on and read someone else's.

To Righteous Fury, I am not giving up on this, and I am not doing this to get people's hopes up just to let them down. AND, by the way, I am not a _he._

Okay, enough of THAT. Thanks to everyone else who reviewed, and hopefully I'll get the last few chapters up soon, if I get the time.

I STILL don't own Pokemon. don't forget it.

_

* * *

_

_Another morning, another day,_ Ash thought as he finished his breakfast two days later. Even though he had been home for a little while, his mother was still giving him that look. He hadn't told her anything else. In fact, he hadn't really talked to her at all. He knew that she was worried about him, but he just didn't feel like talking. He spent the last two days in his room. Redecorating. He was sick of the little kid crap. So Ash had thought 'out with the old and in with the new.' His room didn't really look that much different, but at least it didn't have all the little kid stuff in it. He spent his free hours listening to music on his portable CD player and trying not to think about what happened. Because as much as he didn't want to admit it, the whole thing was still eating him up inside, and he knew his mother knew it.

"Ash, phone for you!" Delia called from the other room.

Ash got up and went to the phone, where Professor Oak's face filled the screen.

"What's up, Professor?" Ash asked, his voice strangely monotone.

"It's your Torkoal. I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with him, but every time I run a check-up on him, he always comes out perfect. But he's being crying almost nonstop since you left… I was wondering if you could come down and help me out, because if he keeps crying much longer, he _will_ get sick."

Ash nodded. "On my way."

* * *

"You see? He won't stop crying. I don't know if it's because he misses you or…" Professor Oak shrugged. "And as you can see, it seems that Torkoal really found a friend in Bayleef."

Ash smiled wryly, seeing his Bayleef sitting next to Torkoal, trying to help him out and whispering comforting words.

"In fact," Professor Oak continued, "an hour or two after you left the other day, all of your pokémon started acting strangely. They seem…" The professor trailed off, looking at Ash and thinking, _They're acting like you're acting now._

"Don't worry, Professor, I'll help out." And Ash went down to Torkoal and Bayleef, seating himself down next to Torkoal and placing a hand on his shell.

"Bay," Bayleef said, pulling out a vine and rubbing Ash.

Ash smiled slightly. "Hey…" He rubbed Torkoal's shell. "C'mon, buddy… I know you're sad, but…but…" He took a deep breath. "I'm really, really, crushed about this. But you don't see me crying. Not that I don't cry, but you don't see it. It's called putting up a brave front. You've got to try it, Torkoal. I'm not saying you can stop crying forever, because sometimes it's okay, and sometimes you can't help it. But you gotta try to be brave for all of us." He gestured to Bayleef. "See, Bayleef here isn't crying, even though I'm sure she's crushed as well. But she's being brave to help _you_ out, and maybe one day you can do the same."

Torkoal looked up at Ash, his tears stopping. "Koal…torkoal…"

"You've got to tell everyone to be brave. We'll get through this…"

Torkoal got on his feet and nodded to Ash. He walked away with his head high, planning on telling the other pokémon what Ash had just said.

Bayleef looked back to Ash, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Leef bay bay? Leefbay…l-leef?"

Ash rubbed her back. "It's okay, Bayleef… It's—it's my fault, anyway…"

"Leef?!" Bayleef took out one of her vines and whacked it lightly against Ash's arm. "Leef bayleef leef leef!"

Ash laughed a little. "I know you think that it's not, but I just…I just don't think that." Bayleef gave Ash a look. "Yet," Ash hastily added. He nodded off in the direction where Torkoal had gone off in. "Take care of Torkoal for me, Bayleef. Make sure that he and the other pokémon know that they've got to hang on."

Bayleef was about to reply when she looked up to the sky. Dark clouds filled it, and Ash flinched at the sound of thunder.

"I—I have to go," Ash said, as if he were in a trance. With that, he strode away.

* * *

"Has he talked about it more?"

"Oh, no, he's been almost completely silent since he got here. He's really beginning to worry me." Delia shrugged halfheartedly. "He's at Professor Oak's now, so he should be home soon…"

Brock shot a look at the three others. "Okay, then. I guess we'll wait."

May nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, I'll go make you some food. You must be tired from all that walking…" Delia's sentence trailed off as she went into the kitchen.

Brock sighed. It had all worked out eventually. He, Misty, and Max had made it to Ash's house just an hour or two ago, and May had just arrived.

"So, May, who _did_ win the contest?" Max inquired.

May smiled. "I did. I've got my fourth ribbon." Her smile instantly turned into a frown. "Drew couldn't come with me… He did say I'd probably see him at the next contest…" Her eyes went distant.

* * *

_-Flashback_-

"Yes! Bulbasaur, we did it!" May cheered, coming out of the contest arena. She had just won her hardest contest yet, and she was ecstatic about it. Another step closer to the Grand Festival.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur said with a wide smile.

"You deserve a nice long rest, okay, Bulbasaur?" And May returned the little pokémon to his pokéball. She then turned around to see— "Drew! Can you believe I actually _beat_ her?!" She threw her arms around him.

"I have to admit, you were really good," Drew replied, not seeming uncomfortable in the least. "Now we're even. You have four ribbons, I have four ribbons."

May nodded. She then realized that they had their arms wrapped around each other in a close hug, and their faces just a few inches apart.

Drew didn't seem to notice though. May didn't blame him. They had been hugging a lot lately. When something good happened……

She blushed furiously. "I—I'm sorry…"

"For what?" Drew asked, staring into her eyes with his emerald ones. "I think I like holding you." Right after the words left his mouth, he began to blush as well. "I…"

May smiled shyly. "It's okay…I like being held by you." This just made Drew flush a deeper shade of red, if that was even possible.

Drew leaned his face in a little closer, and May found herself leaning in as well. Closer and closer until…they stopped.

"Uh," Drew's voice came out as a whisper, his breath warm on May's face. Their foreheads were touching, and their lips were just centimeters away. "Are… I don't want to do this if you don't want to…"

"Oh, I want to," May breathed back.

And with that statement, their lips finally met.

_-End Flashback-

* * *

_

"May! Snap out of it, will yah?!" Max snapped his fingers in front of May's face.

May's eyes clicked onto Max. "Oh, sorry, Max. Just thinking." She exhaled. "Anyway, since Drew couldn't come, I told him I'd meet back up with him next time I see him at a contest."

"That's good," Brock commented, ignoring Max's sour look.

Suddenly, a huge boom of thunder sounded, making the four look out the window.

"I'm glad we got here when we did," Misty said. "I wouldn't have wanted to walk on a muddy path all day. Water I can stand. Mud is just…ick." And as she said this, rain began to pour from the sky.

Delia then came back into the room and handed out food. "That's the third thunderstorm this week! We've been getting so much rain around here lately…… I really hope it stops soon. It depresses Ash more. Which, of course, worries me more."

The other four exchanged glances but remained silent.

"Oh! And there he is now!" Delia indicated out the window, and the four others took a glance.

They spotted a lone figure walking in the pouring rain, hands deep in his pockets. He had a black sweatshirt on with the hood up, and he was already drenched.

"Ash," Misty breathed.

* * *

Ash climbed the last stair on the porch and cocked his head to one side. His mother surely wouldn't like it if he came in soaking wet. Shaking his head, he made his way around the back side of the house. Looking up to his bedroom window, he climbed the vines that had grown up his house. Prying his window open, he hopped into his room.

Stripping off his wet sweatshirt, he began to dress in clean, dry clothes.

Why did it have to rain again? Every time, he could just relive the moment he buried Pikachu. Every pound of thunder just reminded him over and over. He had hidden himself in the corner of his room last time there was a thunderstorm. And if he saw the lightning, he'd just be reminded about Pikachu's power. The power of electricity.

Ash sighed and ran a hand through his hair and straightened his dry sweatshirt. In times like these, he felt like he could use a cup of hot chocolate… Creeping downstairs, he stopped on the last step, hearing voices from the other room.

"Gee, he's been out there for a while. What do you think he's doing?" That was Max's voice. If he was here, then… _Shit,_ Ash swore inwardly. And they had spotted him too. That was great… Ash sighed again and crept into the other room, standing on the threshold, waiting for someone to notice him. As he had expected, that person was his mother.

"Ash, sweetie, we didn't hear you come in!" And with that one sentence, all eyes turned to him.

"Of course not, Mom," Ash said quietly. "I'm as quiet as a Delcatty on the prowl."

Delia laughed slightly. "I made some hot chocolate for you. I knew you'd want some."

Ash smiled his thanks and went into the kitchen, coming back out with his mug and sitting in an empty chair.

"It's good to see you," his mother said. "With the thunderstorm and all, I half expected for you to stay in your room."

Ash looked at her for a second and didn't comment.

Max spoke up. "How are yah, Ash? Hope you're doing better than you were before you left like that."

"I've been okay," Ash replied. "Just needed to come home. Dropped the pokémon off at Professor Oak's, and just came back from checking up on them." He looked to his mother. "He's been having a little trouble with Torkoal."

"Isn't he getting along with the other pokémon?" May asked.

Ash smiled a little and nodded. "He's getting along very well. The professor was just worried because he wouldn't stop crying. So I went, we had a talk, and now he…… Well, let's just say the professor is really glad I talked to him."

Brock nodded. "And how's your other pokémon?"

"Ah, they're good. Bayleef and Torkoal are best friends, and of course Bayleef was happy to see me. Even if she did give me the same kind of 'talk' I gave Torkoal. I know the others are alright, and Professor Oak said that Pigeot even dropped by yesterday." Ash looked down. "And I'm sure she's going to spread the word to Charizard, Butterfree and the others…," he mumbled under his breath.

"So, Ash…when do you think we can go back to Mossdeep? I mean, you've still got two more badges to win," Max pointed out.

"Oh, I'm not challenging the Mossdeep City Gym," Ash stated. "If fact, I'm not continuing my journey at all." He shrugged. "It's just not…… It's just not……" His voice trailed off.

"But—but, Ash! You can't just stop now!" May cried. "You've got six badges already! You're more than halfway there, and you can't just give up!"

"I can and I will. There's nothing you can do to stop me. Just go on without me. Get into the Grand Festival and win."

"Ash…," Misty began. "You don't give up. It's not in your psychological makeup. How many other times have you given up? The thing is, you _haven't_. Sure, you might have been close sometimes, but the point is, you _kept going. _You wouldn't let one little bump in the road slow you down."

Ash's eyes flashed dangerously. "So you think Pikachu's death is a just a little bump in the road? What would happen if someone killed one of your pokémon, Mist? Like, I don't know, your Starmie or your Gyarados or your Corsola? What if you felt that you were responsible for it all? Would you want to keep being a Gym Leader if you thought you'd kill another one of your pokémon?!"

Misty's mouth fell open. Did Ash really think he was responsible? Did he really think he was going to kill another one of his pokémon if he kept going?

"You know what? Forget it. Forget I came here. Forget you ever met me. Just go on with your lives and forget that I exist!" Ash shouted, shooting up and going upstairs, swiftly walking into his room and closing the door with the slam. He sat down in front of the door, flinching as another boom of thunder seemed to rock the world. Lightning cracked across the sky, lighting up his room for a split second before throwing it into utter darkness again.

Shuddering, Ash grabbed a blanket from his bed and wrapped it around himself. He went into the far corner of his room and sat down, staring out the window and waiting for it to stop. Who knew, maybe he'd fall asleep before it did. It had only taken a few hours last time. This time would be no different…

* * *

Downstairs, the others were stuck in an uncomfortable silence. That is, until May spoke up.

"If Ash doesn't want to continue his journey, should we go on anyway?"

"I don't see why not," Brock replied carefully. "I can come with you if you want to enter more contests, May, and of course your brother would have to come along as well. And Misty, you've got to get back to the gym sometime."

Max looked unsure. "But the whole thing's completely different without Ash. It's just not the same!"

May sighed. "But we can't do anything about his attitude. We can't help him if he won't let us. Even if he did let us help him, I would have no idea where to start."

"We can't just _give up_ on him like that!" Misty exclaimed. "I'm not leaving until he's himself again. I'm not going back until he continues his journey."

"But it's your responsibility as a Gym Leader to be at your gym," Brock pointed out.

"It's my responsibility as Ash's _friend_ to be with him when he's feeling this way!" Misty retorted. "I don't care how much trouble I might get into. I'm sticking by him, no matter what."

"We can't stay here forever," Brock said. "We've got to carry on with our lives."

Misty stared at him forcefully. "Don't you even _care_?!"

"Of _course_ I care. But we can't just stay here forever, just waiting for Ash to open up so we can help. Besides, I'm sure Mrs. Ketchum doesn't want us around for that long."

"Oh, I don't mind how long you stay. It'll be nice to have guests," Delia said. "And it'd be great if you could help Ash out."

Brock sighed and looked down. "I'm sorry if I'm sounding insensitive or something, but we can stay for a week before leaving. If Ash isn't…better…by then, we have to leave him to recuperate by himself."

May nodded in agreement. "Maybe he just needs to be alone for a while."

Brock shrugged. "And if you want to neglect your responsibilities, Misty, I guess you can stay. I mean, me, May, and Max can continue with the journey……"

Misty put her hands on her hips. "Fine, just fine. I'm going to stay here for as long as it takes."

* * *

The next morning, Misty, Brock, May, Max, and Delia were seated around the kitchen table, eating breakfast.

"So… Where do you think Ash is?" Misty said, directing her question to Delia.

Delia sighed. "Probably still in his room. He doesn't come down for breakfast anymore. Maybe he's still sleeping, and maybe he's doing something else. I'm not sure…"

"He should be up by now, shouldn't he? Ash isn't really the one to sleep in," May commented.

"Well, I'll go get him." And before anyone could stop her, Misty went upstairs.

She hesitated at the door, wondering if Ash would mind if she didn't knock. Dismissing the thought, she opened the door quietly and looked around. Ash wasn't in his bed… Misty spotted him, asleep in the corner of his room, wrapped tight in a blanket. Going over to him and crouching down, Misty hesitated again.

_He looks so peaceful sleeping… He almost looks happy…,_ Misty thought as she absentmindedly used her hand to brush Ash's messy hair out his face.

Ash began to stir, making Misty draw her hand back. He finally opened his eyes, blinking unsurely. "Misty? What are you doin' here?" He stretched his sore arms out and yawned.

"It's breakfast time. I'm here to wake you up."

Ash stood up and threw the blanket on his bed. "I'm not hungry right now, Mist."

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," Misty said. "Isn't Brock always telling you that?"

Ash shrugged. "Ah, it doesn't really matter if I miss one meal or not. There are three in a day. Getting two out of three is pretty good."

Misty rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "About yesterday, Ash…… What I said about small bumps in the road. You have to understand, I didn't mean that Pikachu…" She left her sentence hanging.

Ash shrugged. "I—I guess I overreacted…," he said uncertainly. "I should learn to keep my mouth shut… Yeah…"

Misty sighed. "But I just want to say this. You've got to continue your journey, Ash."

Ash glared. "And why is that? Last time I checked, it was my life, and I can do whatever…"

"You know it's your dream to be a Pokémon Master. You're just going to throw that away? The Ash Ketchum I knew wouldn't do something like that."

"Well, maybe the Ash Ketchum you knew never existed," Ash retorted. "Maybe you just _thought_ you knew him, but you didn't. You don't."

"I've known you since you were ten. Shouldn't I know you well enough by now?" Misty inquired.

Ash shrugged again. "So you've known me since I've started my journey. There's still ten years before that… Ten years that are unaccounted for. Ten years that you don't know."

"Then why don't you _tell_ me? What really could have happened back then?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I didn't say that anything did. I just say that I think that you don't know me as well as you claim."

Misty was silent for a long while before saying, "Fine, stay up here. Everyone else is waiting for you downstairs, so don't think for a minute that you can stay up here all day. Do you have any idea how much you're worrying your mother? I think you should stop being so selfish and let her know that you're alright. I know you're upset about what happened, but it doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want because you're depressed about it." And with that, Misty left.

Ash glared to himself. He wasn't doing anything wrong, was he? Being a little sad wasn't wrong… It's not like he was doing something terribly wrong. What was so bad about a little grief? Nothing, last time Ash checked.

_Maybe she's trying to say that she just doesn't want me worrying everyone,_ Ash thought. _Okay, fine, I can play that game.

* * *

_

"So I'm guessing Ash isn't coming down?" Max inquired when Misty came back down.

"I don't think so, no," Misty replied. "He's just acting so strange. I mean, I know Pikachu's death hurt him, but he really should try to move on. But he doesn't want to, he's just stuck there."

"He'll come to his senses soon enough," Brock stated matter-of-factly.

Delia looked uncertain. "I don't know. Ash could never take death very well."

"Really? Has someone else died that he knew?" May asked.

"Oh, he's never happy when anyone dies, but it's just when it's someone he knows personally dies………" Delia's voice trailed off. "I think……it's because……because of this one person who died. Ash was completely crushed. He wouldn't talk for such a long time, and I cried to see him like that." She looked to her son's friends, knowing that they were wondering who died. "He was young at the time, and I remember the day he finally said something again, but it wasn't at all what I expected."

* * *

_-Flashback-_

Seven-year-old Ash climbed onto the couch, next to his mother. He looked up to her with tear-filled eyes and looked like he was trying to say something.

"What is it, honey?" Delia asked worriedly. "Is it the nightmares again?"

"Mommy…," Ash began, his voice hoarse from not talking in so long. "You're not going to leave too, right? I don't want to be alone, Mommy… I don't want to have more nightmares…"

"Oh, honey," Delia whispered, hugging her son close. "I'm not going anywhere, darling. You're not going to be alone. But, sweetie, I've told you that it helps to talk about your nightmares and your feelings about this, but you stay quiet. Why? Why can't you tell me what's going on inside?"

Ash looked down, deep in thought. "Mommy, there's a hurt spot inside of me. I don't wanna talk about it 'cause I don't want to share the hurt with you. I don't wanna make you cry. I don't wanna give you my nightmares."

_-End Flashback-

* * *

_

Misty took in this story. "You don't think Ash still thinks…"

"I don't know," Delia said. "I don't know how much damage that……event…caused, but I'm sure it was a lot. It's normal for Ash to be quiet. He's never really been the one to talk about what was going on inside." She paused for a second. "I guess it's a little better now. Ash doesn't stay completely silent. Nightmares…well…… He's had a few…"

"Maybe if you told us more about Ash's childhood, we could help," Misty suggested.

Delia shrugged. "That's really more Ash's story to tell, Misty. But I guess if it helps, I could tell you some…" She exhaled, gathering thoughts looking around the living room, which was where everyone was seated. "Okay… Well, when Ash was born, it was all great. Before I knew it he was already five years old. I had to send him to kindergarten soon enough. But Ash didn't want to go because he was scared. The only other kid he knew was Gary. So I home-schooled him for a little while. By the time he was seven, the event had passed, Ash was in a bottomless pit of silence, and the friendship between him and Gary crumbled away."

"Ash was friends with _Gary?!_" Misty asked, eyes wide. "Oh, wow, I always thought that they hated each other forever."

"Oh, yes. But as they grew older, Gary grew more……arrogant I guess I can say. Ash didn't like that at all, and he seemed to be angered at Gary's constant ability to seem on top of the world while he was down in the dumps," Delia said carefully. "And Gary didn't like Ash just disappearing. One second they were playing, next thing he knew, Ash was completely different. When Ash did start talking again, the only words he and Gary exchanged were…well…what you're used to now. The end of the friendship didn't help Ash at all. He didn't have any other friends, and he was eager to leave Pallet Town. He learned that older kids went out of pokémon journeys, and he learned that Gary planned to too." Delia looked down. "That's when he decided he wanted to do that as well. He already knew he adored pokémon, and he soon swore that he'd become a Pokémon Master one day. So he was eagerly waiting until he was ten. The scars of the event seemed to have passed. Maybe an occasional nightmare here or there, but otherwise, it was great. I kept home-schooling him, and realized that he wasn't at all happy with all the home-schooling. It was a week or two before he started his journey when he told me that he felt cut off from the real world. Excluded. It didn't matter, he said. He'd learn plenty when he went on his journey. And a while later, he left."

"That's it?" Misty asked. She understood the whole story, but it just seemed something was missing. And who was this person that had died? Why did she get the feeling that she was forgetting something?

"As I said before, this is Ash's story to tell. If you want deeper information, you're going to have to ask him. There have been a lot of little incidents in his childhood. Some terrifying, some happy. I'll never forget the day that he came home all beaten up. He had just smiled at me and told me not to worry, it didn't hurt that much." Delia shook her head. "Boys can be so hard to raise… He had gotten into a fistfight with Gary Oak, over something unreasonable I assume."

Misty raised her eyebrows. "That's it! I know who to ask for more information!"

"Ash himself?" Max inquired sourly, getting the feeling that Misty didn't mean Ash.

"No, I already tried that. We can talk to Gary. He's at Professor Oak's, right? He's known Ash for a really long time, right? It's perfect." Misty stood up. "Let's go."

"I'll stay behind. I'm sure Delia needs help with something," Brock said.

"Oh, Brock, that's so nice of you," Delia replied with a smile.

"Well, I'm in," May said, standing up herself. "How 'bout you, Max?"

"Me? Miss a trip to Professor Oak's ranch? Where tons of cool pokémon are? No way!"

* * *

Okay, so... Wish me luck with school, and try being patient, everyone.


	24. Chapter 24

Hey, everyone, I'm finally back. Sorry it took so long, things have been hectic as hell here. I know this chappy is short, but the next one will be longer. (I hope I'll be able to post it soon)

thank you to all reviewers, especially Arisu Tsuranu

i still don't own pokemon

* * *

"Oooooh, Professor Oak, will you _please_ show me all of Ash's pokémon?" Max asked excitedly, already dragging Professor Oak out the door.

"Hey, Gary, can we talk to you?" Misty asked the brunette, coming up to him.

Gary looked at Misty and May curiously. "Uh…sure."

"You know us, right? Friends of Ash?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. You're Misty, right? And I don't think I know you…"

"May," May introduced herself. "But introductions aren't important. We want to talk to you about Ash."

Gary raised an eyebrow, almost in a confused way. "The loser? What about him?"

Misty glared slightly. "I want to know everything you know about Ash's childhood before he set out on his journey."

"What, are you some private detective or something?"

"Spit it out, Gary. We're just worried about him."

"Oh, he's pulling the silent-treatment thing again, huh? Some things never change…" Gary laughed a little. He then rolled his eyes. "Oh, fine. Uhh…lemme think……… I met loser when we were…I don't know, three or something. We were only friends because Gramps and Mrs. Ketchum were friends. It's just typical little kid action. Everything was fine until we turned seven. I realized that Ketchum was a loser. He pulled the silent treatment, and I finally learned that…" Gary's voice trailed off. "Uh, that something happened, and Ash just was acting weird. After that was over, we weren't friends anymore. We were always at each other's throats." Gary smirked. "There was this one time when we had an argument and I said something wrong. We got into a fight, and I won. Ha, that'd show him to mess with me. I beat the kid up so good… Sure, I got grounded in the end, but it's what I did that counts. After that, nothing much happened. We went on our journeys, blah, blah, blah, now he's back, he's acting weird again. The only answer is that someone close to him died again."

"You don't know?" Misty questioned, a little disappointed. Gary didn't give her much information that she didn't already know.

"Know about what?"

Misty shook her head and slowly explained about what happened to Pikachu. From the beginning. When she was finished, Gary looked amused.

"So that's what got him worked up. Gramps was wondering about that, I know."

"One last question, Gary. Who was that person who died when Ash was seven? What put him into silence?"

Gary snorted. "Ask him yourself. I'm sure he'll be just _tickled_ to receive that question." He winked at them before leaving the room.

"Who could have died?" May asked, thinking aloud.

Misty shrugged. "No clue. I just get this feeling that I'm looking over something."

* * *

Ash ate his lunch silently as Brock and Delia watched him carefully.

"How're you feeling, Ash?" Brock finally asked.

Ash looked up to him for a second. "I'm doing fine," he lied. He still had his mind on what Misty had said earlier, and he was going to play along with her little game. He would have lied anyway, but…

Brock didn't look like he believed it. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," Ash said, keeping his face emotionless. _I'm getting really good at hiding that kind of stuff,_ he thought.

Delia smiled. "That's good then. We were beginning to get worried."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about _me_, Mom."

His mother ruffled his hair lovingly. "Good, I don't want to." And she left the room.

Brock looked at Ash skeptically. "So you're absolutely fine. After one night."

Ash fought to keep his face a blank. "Yeah, what's so wrong about that? A little sleep can fix up a lot of things." As he said this, he yawned loudly. "Sleep can be very helpful…"

"Don't fool around with us, Ash. I don't want your mother thinking that you're better when you're not. Don't hide stuff from us."

Ash set his jaw. "I'm not _hiding_ from you, Brock. Why can't you believe that I'm feeling better? Mom doesn't need to worry anymore. None of you do."

"I don't want you keeping everything inside. If you do that, you're bound to explode sometime." Brock put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm only saying this because I care, Ash. You're like a little brother to me."

"Well, if I ever feel like I'm going to explode, I'll tell you," Ash replied. He hoped Brock didn't dig too deep into the situation—he didn't want Brock to know about his façade.

Brock sighed. "Good. And if you're feeling better, why don't you come back to Mossdeep and continue your journey? It'll never be the same without you, you know."

Ash tensed up. _He's trying to break down the front by asking that question. He knew that if I was really better I'd go with them and finish what I started. And if I didn't go, he'd know it was a front. And if I did, it wouldn't delete the possibility. He'd just think that I went to make him think I was better. Oh, you played this well, Brock, but you're not going to win._

He put on a fake smile. "Sure, Brock, I'll come along. I've got to get those last two badges, right? I'll just pick up my pokémon tomorrow, we'll have one of Professor Oak's Psychic pokémon Teleport us to Mossdeep instead of taking a plane, and…yeah…"

Brock smiled as well. "That's great, Ash! I'll have to tell your mother and of course May, Max, and Misty." He went off, leaving Ash alone.

Ash slumped in defeat. "Crap," he muttered. _I don't want to keep going…… But I guess it's better than having Brock and the others breathe down my neck about every little thing. Maybe after I convince them I'm okay, and if I win the Hoenn League, I can finally quit this…this thing.

* * *

_

It was the next day when Ash, Misty, May, Max, and Brock were on their way to the Mossdeep City Gym. Ash had tried his best to act 'normal'—making weird comments and trying to keep a conversation going—it could be going better.

"I'm really glad you decided to continue your journey, Ash," Max said with a smile. "I mean, it's great seeing May's contests, but I really like seeing your gym battles as well."

Ash nodded in acknowledgment.

"And Misty," Brock began.

Misty cringed. She knew what was next. "I know, I know. I need to get back to Cerulean." She sighed. "I just… It's just… I guess I can leave after Ash's gym battle…" She bowed her head and groaned.

Ash opened the door to the Mossdeep City Gym uneasily. He didn't want Misty to leave either. He had missed her so much last time she left. And now she's going to leave again? Who knew when he'd see her again?

"Hey, if it isn't the Cerulean City Gym Leader!" exclaimed a voice, and Ash recognized the young man as Tate. "My sister told me she met you, except I didn't believe her! Have you come for a challenge?"

Misty smiled and shook her head. "Not me. Him." She indicated Ash.

Tate looked disappointed for a split second before saying, "Oh, I remember you. Ash, right? You needed to get to Petalburg because of an emergency? Huh, I guess you were right, after hearing all that stuff about the Petalburg disaster."

Ash nodded slowly. "Yeah…" He gave one glance to the others before throwing up his façade. "Anyway, I'm here to challenge you to a gym battle."

"You mean me and my sister. We're both the Gym Leaders."

"Uhh…" Ash drew the word out.

"It'll just be a double battle with three trainers. Is that okay?"

"Oh, yeah, that's great. I'm ready when you are."

Tate smiled. "Okay then." He led the way to the battlefield. "Liza should already be in there," he informed the others, opening double doors, revealing a beautiful battle field, complete with hanging planets from the ceiling. Liza was on the other side of the room, but turned to them when she heard the doors slam.

"We got a challenger, Liza!" Tate called. "It's Ash! He came back to give us a battle!"

"That's great!" Liza called back as Tate walked over to their side of the battlefield. "Mom should be here in a sec to judge our battle."

After everyone had gotten where they were supposed to be, and Tate and Liza's mom had arrived, they were finally ready for a battle. Tate and Liza's mom had already explained the rules. A double battle that ends when both pokémon on one side are fainted, with no substitutions.

"Okay. Solrock, let's go!" Tate threw his pokéball.

"You too, Lunatone!" Liza called out, throwing her pokéball with Tate's. The two pokéballs opened at the same time to reveal their pokémon.

Ash thought about it for a second. He already knew he wanted to use Swellow because both Lunatone and Solrock levitate, and it'd be easier to battle that way. But what about his second pokémon? He knew that both Lunatone and Solrock were half Psychic type, but he didn't really have anything to battle effectively against that. But he also knew that both pokémon were half Rock type too. And since Water type beat Rock type………

"Swellow, Corphish, I choose you!" The two pokémon formed at his feet. They were ready.

"Let's begin!" Liza and Tate's mother said, and Ash didn't hesitate. The sooner this was over, the better.

"Swellow, use Wing Attack on Solrock! Corphish, Bubblebeam on Lunatone!"

"Lunatone, dodge that and protect Solrock with Light Screen!" Liza shouted.

The crescent-shaped pokémon slipped out of Swellow's way, making the bird pokémon run into one of the hanging planets. Lunatone made her way to Solrock and her eyes glowed blue, putting up an almost clear screen in front of them, making Bubblebeam deflect off it and hit Corphish.

"Swellow, Peck on Lunatone. Corphish, Bubblebeam on Solrock!" Ash commanded, his pokémon hurrying to comply.

"Sandstorm, Solrock!"

Tate's Solrock blew a ton of sand at the opposing pokémon, driving Swellow back and stopping Corphish's Bubblebeam in its tracks.

"This could be a problem," Brock commented from the stands that were to Ash right. "With Tate and Liza's combination defenses so far, Ash hasn't been able to get one attack in."

"Solrock, it's time for your Solarbeam!"

"Lunatone, use your Ice Beam!"

The two pokémon fired nasty-looking attacks at Ash's pokémon, and Ash's eyes widened. If Ice Beam hit Swellow…and if Solarbeam hit Corphish…

"Dodge it, you two!"

Swellow dodged the Ice Beam easily, but Solrock's Solarbeam hit dead on, throwing Corphish back.

"PHHIIISH!" Corphish cried out, fainting.

"Corphish is unable to battle!" The twins' mother called out.

"Fine. Corphish, return." Ash returned Corphish to his pokéball and whispered, "It's okay, Corphish."

"Now it's no fair," May said bitterly. "Two against one? And with Ice Beam _and_ Solarbeam? I don't know, you guys, but I think that we pushed Ash into this battle stuff a little too early. If he loses, I know he's going to be upset about it…"

"He hasn't even been in that battle for that long," Max pointed out. "Maybe after the whole Pikachu ordeal, Ash has gotten… I don't know…"

"Swellow, hit Solrock with an Aerial Ace!"

"Swellllooooow!" Swellow yelled, beginning a speedy attack.

"Let's finish this up, Tate," Liza said, smirking slightly.

"Okay. Let's go. Solrock, use Solarbeam!"

"And you use Ice Beam, Lunatone!"

When the two pokémon fired again, Swellow had no time to dodge. Ash could practically feel Swellow's pain as he fell back to the ground. 'Iron Tail, Pikachu' was on the tip of Ash's tongue, except Pikachu wasn't there… He barely heard when the twins' mother declared that Tate and Liza were the winners. Without a word he returned Swellow to his pokéball. How could it be that he was beaten so quickly? So easily? Was he nothing without Pikachu?

* * *

I had written this a few weeks after I saw Ash's battle with Liza and Tate... ummm...

The next chapter is the last chapter. seriously. it's pretty long... I will also talk about the sequel there too... because there's stuff you should know about, lol.

okay, please review, and please be patient because i don't know when i'll update next. hopefully soon.


	25. Chapter 25

Hi, everyone, it's the day you've all been waiting for. THE LAST CHAPTER! (omg!) I'm actually confused. On my computer, it says that this is chapter 26, but here it's 25...? Did I miss a chapter? I hope not. If you think something didn't make sense (like there's a chapter missing!) please tell me and I'll try to fix it. But on the other hand, I coulda combined two chapters... i don't know. I don't even know if this is the longest chapter anymore because now i'm confused...

okay, today I especially want to thank Arisu Tsuranu for being the most supporting reviewer EVER. You're the reason i'm actually going to POST the sequel. _(gives you big happy thank-you cake!)_

a big thank you to everyone else who liked it

and thank you for those who read it, lol.

At the end of this chapter, I'll be talking about the sequel and some things you should know about it... and then you can decide if you want it or not. If not, well, okay then.

It's been almost two years since i started this story (I started it September 11th, 2005) and almost two years since i finshed it (November 21st, 2005) it's weird that i'm posting it now. (kinda)

I DON'T OWN POKEMON. And I don't get to see the new episodes because I don't have cable, therefore I don't get cartoon network. But I DID see a few episodes of Diamond and Pearl while I was on vacation. I was all like WTF? (when I saw that they had replaced May and Max with Dawn! I say they should have never gotten rid of Misty to begin with, don't you agree?)

Okay, read on.

* * *

"I'm sorry about that, Ash," Brock said sincerely. "I bet you would've won if—"

Ash threw an offhand motion. "It doesn't matter. I can always challenge them again later on." He stopped, wondering if this response was 'right' in his friends' book. "Uh…and next time I'll beat them!"

Brock nodded very slowly, seeming to accept this.

Misty frowned at them all. "And I guess I have to leave now."

Ash's fake smile instantly disappeared. "But…but, Misty…"

"Goodbye, May, Max." Misty went up and hugged Brock. "Goodbye, Brock. Don't over-flirt yourself."

"What? I don't flirt _that_ much, Misty," Brock protested.

Max snorted loudly. "No, you don't. You only flirt with every Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, and any other pretty girl we see."

Misty then turned to Ash, catching him in a moment where everything showed on his face. She regretted leaving. She didn't want to abandon him like this. He was obviously crushed. Once he noticed her looking at him, his face seemed to sweep blank. Misty went over to him and hugged him tightly.

"Goodbye, Ash. I'm—I'm sorry I have to leave."

Ash pulled away for a second, looking Misty in the eye. "It's not your fault. It's just you've got responsibilities as a Gym Leader…… I'm going to miss you like hell, though." And before thinking, he kissed her lightly on the cheek.

Misty put both hands to her face to try and hide her fiery hot blush, and Ash had to look down to hide his.

"Uh…uh…," Ash stuttered.

"It's okay," Misty said silently. "I'll meet up with you guys as soon as I can, okay? I'm really going to miss you all…"

And before Ash knew it, she was gone.

Brock smirked. "So, Ash, what was the kiss for?"

Ash glared for a split second. "Oh, stow it, Brock."

"Seems like Brock the Rock is right about yet another thing!" Brock exclaimed, pointing one finger to the sky heroically.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Ash and Max asked in unison.

Brock laughed slightly. "Oh, nothing." He nodded to the pokémon center. "I'm guess we can stay _there_ for the night?"

Max sighed. "Do we _have_ to? I don't think I want to deal with you, Mr. Drool-Face."

"Come on, Max. Look at it. It's in the middle of no where. There's no civilization for miles." Brock sighed happily. "And add Nurse Joy… It's……perfect…"

May rolled her eyes. "Fine. C'mon, lover boy."

Brock eagerly went into the pokémon center, but to his surprise, there was no Nurse Joy at the desk. Instead, there was a woman about his age, with long, deep blue hair and cerulean-colored eyes. Brock's jaw dropped.

"Hello, and welcome to the pokémon center," the woman said.

"Um…," Max started.

The woman smiled. "I bet you were expecting Nurse Joy, right? She had to run an errand and won't be back until tomorrow. I'm just a civilian taking over for a little while. My name's Amelia."

Max looked over his shoulder to see Brock doing nothing. Strange, he really thought that Brock would jump to the counter and say something like, 'hey, beautiful, where have you been all my life?' But he just stood there.

"Yeah, we'd like to rest our pokémon, please." Ash handed over his pokéballs, and May and Brock followed soon after. "And maybe a room for the night?"

Amelia smiled. "But of course." She looked down to a clipboard, and then back up to them. "Ah, yes, I can put you all in Room 6. What names should I put it under?"

"I'm May, this is Ash, my little brother Max, and this is Brock," May introduced, indicating each of them in turn.

Amelia nodded. "Okay then, you're all set."

When Max closed their room door behind them, him, May, and Ash stared at Brock, completely confused.

Brock didn't notice though. "She's…she's _lovely_. Beautiful. The most beautiful girl I've ever seen!"

"If you think _that_, then why didn't you flirt with her like you always do?" Max asked, not bothering to mention that Brock seemed to refer to every girl as the most beautiful girl he's ever seen.

Brock sighed. "Max, Max, Max. Didn't you _see_ her? She doesn't want to be messed around with. I don't deserve to flirt with _her_. At least, not in the goofy way I do in front of you guys." He flopped down on one of beds. "Wow, this is so weird. I've never felt this way before," he muttered.

May crawled up to the upper bunk bed that was over Brock. "Mm, whatever, Brock. All I know is I'm real"—she yawned loudly—"tired." She collapsed on the bed. She took of her sneakers and threw them over the side, ignoring Max's loud protests. Something about getting hit on the head and to watch where she was throwing those 'bombs'.

Max and Ash went into their beds as well, Ash feeling somewhat uneasy.

_I know this uneasy feeling,_ Ash thought. _It means nightmare. Bad nightmare._ And sure enough………

* * *

_Ash was seven again. Looking up at his mom, he said, "Pikachu's gone, Mom. Dad's gone. Everyone just keeps leaving and I can't do anything about it."_

_"Everyone leaves sometime, dear. I know you don't want to hear this, but one day I'll be gone too." _

_"But! No! I'm not going to let you leave me. No." _

_"There's nothing you can do to stop it. It's just the way of life. Old people die, new people are born. It's the cycle, dear." _

_"But some people didn't deserve to die. Dying of old age and murder are two different things, Mom. Pikachu got killed. Dad got killed. Who's next? I swear I—" He cut himself off once his mother disappeared right in front of his ey__es. "Wha—?" Looking around, Ash saw that the room got suddenly dark. What was happening? _

_"__Mom?" he called out warily. "Mom, don't leave me alone. I don't want to be alone…" _

_Silence. _

_"Please," Ash pleaded. "Don't—I don't want…" _

_"So selfish," whispered a voice. "I, I, _ _I.__ Me, me, me. Don't you care about anything but yourself?" _

_"I care about my friends and my mom and my—" _

_"No you don't. You only care about what happens to you when they die. You only worry about the pain you'll feel. You shouldn't have friends. You don't deserve them." _

_"I—" _

_"There you go again! 'I'! I guess I'm going to have to prove my point. Watch." _

_There was a small light, and Ash could make out seven figures. He knew them. Brock, Misty, May, and Max. Pikachu, his mother, his father. _

_Suddenly, they began to scream this horrible scream, and blood poured from their ears and eyes, their nostrils and mouth. _

_"Wait! Wait, stop!" Ash shouted. "Don't—don't do that!" he tried turning away, not standing the sight of so much blood. But he couldn't. _

_"You only care for yourself. You don't deserve these peoples' love. You don't deserve anything or anyone or—" _

* * *

Ash awoke with a start, panting heavily. Running a hand through his hair, he got up out of his bed and sneaked out of the room. He had fallen asleep in his clothes, so he didn't bother changing. He was only going outside for a little fresh air anyway.

After he sneaked outside, he looked up at the star-filled sky. Deciding that he would just take a little walk, he made his way away from the pokémon center. Walking a mile. Then two. Then four.

He was in the middle of no where when he heard a voice.

"No! I won't let you hurt him! Please don't hurt him!" a boy's voice shouted.

"We won't _have_ to hurt him if he'd just come with us. But if he _doesn't_ come with us, I swear I will kill your little pokémon!" snapped another voice.

Ash glared deeply and began to jog toward the voices. No pokémon were going to die on his watch. He eventually saw a boy, about ten years old, holding a Mudkip tightly in his arms and glaring at two adults. The two adults must have been in their late twenties. Dressed in black uniforms with red R's on their chests. The man had short jet-black hair and brown eyes, and the woman had dark brown hair with green eyes.

_Team Rocket grunts,_ Ash thought disgustedly. _But why would they want to steal a little Mudkip? I thought they liked stealing powerful pokémon…_ Realizing that he only had one pokémon on him, but deciding that didn't matter, Ash made his way and stood in front of the boy. "Hey, what do you two think you're doing?!"

The brunette woman stared at him. "We're Team Rocket, and I _think_ we're stealing that Mudkip!" She unhooked a pokéball from her belt, and motioned her partner to do the same. "I guess we have to do this the hard way. Sceptile, go!"

"Let's go! Magcargo!"

Ash looked at the two pokémon that had just come out. He had seen a Magcargo before, but this was the first time he had seen a Sceptile. The final evolution stage of Treecko, the Sceptile looked like he was about to tear someone's head off. Ash briefly wondered if they had stolen these pokémon and turned them.

"Torkoal, come on out!" Ash threw his own pokéball, ignoring the irritated and confused expression of the ten year old behind him.

"What do _you_ think you're doing? Just busting in like this?" the kid hissed, annoyed. "I don't need help from _you_."

Ash glared at the kid. "Well, kid, forgive me if I want to save your pokémon's life." He turned his gaze back on Torkoal. "Torkoal, use Flamethrower on Sceptile!"

"Torrr…koal!" Torkoal took a deep breath, and let loose a stream of fire from his mouth. A stream that hit Sceptile straight on. The Grass pokémon seemed to shrug the attack off, even though he got pretty damaged.

"Magcargo, use Rock Slide!"

"Use Leaf Blade Attack, Sceptile!"

Ash nodded to Torkoal. "Iron Defense."

Both attacks bounced off Torkoal's hard shell, and once Torkoal came out of his shell, Ash called, "Use Overheat on Sceptile!"

This attack worked to perfection, fainting Sceptile, and making the brunette look at Ash in wonder.

"Huh, good attack. Maybe we should catch that one too, Nico."

Nico nodded. "Sure, why not? The boss will love an addition to that Mudkip. And hey, if he doesn't like it, we can just kill it, eh?"

Ash clenched his fists. "I'm not letting you kill _any_ pokémon. You damn Team Rockets could never really do any damage."

Nico laughed. "Hear that, Alondra? I think he's calling Team Rocket _weak!_" He smirked at Ash. "Little do you know, Team Rocket is getting a hell of a lot stronger. You should _see_ the pokémon our boss has. Ah, newly acquired, still has that new pokémon smell."

Alondra wrinkled her nose. "Ack, that pokémon smelt…" She looked back to Ash. "Nico's right. Rocket's getting stronger than you think, kid. Oh, we'll be making _small_ appearances. People will die, and soon enough, Team Rocket will rule…"

Ash folded his arms across his chest. "Oh, really? People will die? Team Rocket will rule? Ha. Not in this life. Not when I'm still alive."

Alondra and Nico laughed. "What?" Alondra asked. "You? How old are you, nine? You can't _dream_ about stopping us!"

"You'll see," Ash stated seriously. "I'll kill every one of you if I have to."

The kid behind Ash rolled his eyes. "You three talk too much. I thought you were battling. Mudkip, faint Magcargo with Hydro Cannon!"

"Mud—KIIIIIP!" Mudkip let out the water equivalent of a Hyper Beam.

_So that's why they wanted that kid's Mudkip,_ Ash mused. _Hydro Cannon is a rare move._

Magcargo _did_ faint, and the Hydro Cannon made Alondra and Nico blast-off, Jessie and James style.

"Sheesh. What's with you, hero-boy? If you're going to try and help, actually _help_." The red-haired kid snorted.

Ash spun around to stare at the kid. "What would you have done against that Sceptile? Grass beats Water. Maybe next time, I should just grab a seat and watch you do it yourself."

"I did it all the other times. Rockets have been around a lot lately. They want my Mudkip, they want my friend's Charmander, they want the Raikou that's been hanging around here." The kid shrugged. "And they won't stop blabbing about their boss's new pokémon. Several people have been injured, and the Nurse Joy from the pokémon center near here even had to go to our hospital and help out."

"Why are you telling me this?"

The kid shrugged again. "You seem to have some kind of hang-up with these dudes. I think you're pissed at them. Which is good, because people who are pissed do a good job at taking care of those who bother them."

Ash snorted. "Whatever. And you're welcome." And he strode away.

A minute or two passed before the kid yelled, "Wait up!" he ran next to Ash. "You are going to try and stop Team Rocket, right? They—they already hurt my parents and my best friend. I don't—I don't want them to kill my pokémon or my family or—"

Ash put a hand up. "You know, kid, a thought came to my mind a few minutes ago. A new plan. I don't want to lie to my friends forever. I've got a new mission I've got to complete, and I want you to keep your yap shut about it."

"How can I if I don't even know what it is? And will you stop calling me kid? My name is Andrew, not kid. Stop talking to me like I'm a baby!"

"Fine, _Andrew_. You'll know when to keep quiet. Don't tell anyone about me, and I'll do what I have to do."

Andrew shrugged. "Okay…"

Ash nodded and finally left, his train of thought running at the speed of light. Team Rocket was getting more powerful. Were killing people and pokémon? How did this happen?

_Well, nothing's going to happen, because I'm not going to let Team Rocket do anything. They already took one friend from me, and I'm not about to give them a chance to take anyone else_.

* * *

"Why in the world would you want to do that, Ash?" Professor Oak inquired from the other end of the phone.

"Don't worry about it, Professor. I just want them to have a _good_ rest at the ranch until I get to the next city. Besides, I'm keeping Grovyle with me, so it won't be like I'm completely pokémon-less."

"But sending Swellow, Torkoal, and Corphish here?"

"C'mon, Professor, it's not like I'm going to meet a Gym Leader on the road. Just take them for a little while. Who knows, maybe when I ask for them back, I'll have more Hoenn pokémon for you to take care of." Ash gave the professor a halfhearted smile, and the professor finally accepted.

Ash sent over the three pokéballs, said goodbye to the professor, and hung up. He knew that carrying around one pokémon wasn't the smartest thing to do if you ran into Team Rocket, but right now, he didn't really have a choice.

* * *

"You've been acting a little quiet today, Ash," Brock commented, sitting next to Ash on the couch in their room. "What's up?"

"Uh, nothing much," Ash replied. "Just thinking of battle strategies." It wasn't a complete lie, but it covered it.

Brock frowned. "I don't know, Ash, it just seems like you've been making a lot of weird excuses for doing things that aren't 'you'. Are you _sure_ you're not hiding anything from us? Are you still upset about…about Pikachu? Because if you are, I—"

Ash held up a hand, cutting Brock off. "Don't worry, Brock, I'm just fine. But you aren't making it much better by asking me questions like that all the time." He looked to Brock meaningfully. "You know, Brock, you're one of my best friends. I want to ask _you_ a question."

"Okay…"

"If there was a major threat that was about to blow up at any moment, and there was a chance that I or your family or any of your other friends would die, would you try and get rid of that threat?"

Brock cocked his head to one side. "That's a very interesting question. Where'd you come up with it?"

Ash shrugged. "A dream I had. It was very weird," he lied.

Brock seemed to believe this and answered, "Yeah, I would probably go after the threat."

Ash nodded. "Okay, thanks."

"Why do you ask?"

"Uh, you know, it was just in that dream I had. I guess I just wanted to hear it from you before I started believing things that weren't true," Ash answered monotonously, trying to make his story sound real.

Brock nodded. "Okay…" And they sat in silence for a few more minutes before Brock turned on the TV.

"And we're here in Turnerville. Turnerville got hit by uniformed assailants last night. Several people got injured, three killed. Along with that, several pokémon also got killed, and several more are unaccounted for……" the newscaster went on with more information, but he didn't hold Ash's attention anymore.

"That's terrible," Brock muttered under his breath.

Ash clenched his fists. _It has to be Team Rocket! I can't just sit around and let them do this! Agh, I swear I will hunt down each and every one of them and make them stop!_

* * *

Midnight. The only sound was the steady breathing of May and Max and the snoring of Brock. Getting out of his bed and quickly getting dressed, Ash hoped that his friends wouldn't wake up. Grabbing his backpack and slinging it over one shoulder, Ash crept out of the room and into the main room of the pokémon center. Amelia wasn't at the desk, and Ash assumed that she was sleeping somewhere too.

He knew what he had to do. Throwing a mock salute in the direction of his friends' room, he silently wished them luck. He then turned to the door and took a few steps. He was right in front of the door, and it slid open. But before he stepped out, he heard a tired voice from behind him.

"Ash…? What…? Where are you going?" May asked from a few feet behind him.

Ash turned around, his eyes wide. "Uh… Go back to bed, I'm just a part of a bad dream…?"

May put her hands on her hips, now appearing very much awake. "I am _not_ going back to bed. Tell me where you're going."

Ash scowled. "Fine. I'm leaving, I'm leaving and I'm not coming back."

"Why?"

"Why? Why? Because I have something I've got to do, May. I don't want anyone getting hurt, I don't want……… And I don't feel like keeping up a damn façade forever. I _don't_ want to continue my journey. I _don't_ want to win those last two badges."

May was quiet for a long time before asking, "What is this about, Ash? What do you have to do?"

"I have to _protect_ you and the others from what's going to happen. I'm not going to sit around and do _nothing_ while people get killed. Who knows who could be next? You? Brock? M-Misty? And pokémon are getting killed too. I'm _not_ going to let them kill anyone! I'm _not_ letting them do anything else!" Ash turned his back on her again, only saying, "Tell the others goodbye for me." before leaving.

* * *

Running as fast as he could in the dark, Ash didn't stop until he was a good five miles away from the pokémon center. Looking back, he thought, _I'm never going to see them again. I've got to find a way to stop Team Rocket, and I'm not going to stop until they're no longer a threat._ _I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking this. I bet people are already getting ready to help. I'll just be the undercover guy…_

Sighing, Ash looked to the sky. _This is for you, Pikachu._

* * *

Well, there you have it. do you WANT the sequel or not?

Okay, first, info

Oh, before that, I got 'Brock the Rock' from one of the older pokemon episodes. (I fail to remember which one), and the song that always reminds me of this story is 'Adam's Song' by Blink 182 (I'm not sure why, I was probably listening to it a lot when I wrote this)

OKAY. sequel info.

It's called Echo, and it takes place (don't say anything) two and a half years later. This one kinda focuses more on problems with Team Rocket (they're on a freakin rampage or something, lol) and it focuses more on Ash's relationship with Misty. (it gradually moves on) There is, of course, Pikachu mention, and Ash is still sore about it... and uh, letssee, I hope you don't mind a little ooc for at least Ash because he's changed over time

UNFORTUNANTLY (i can't spell that by the way) it's not finished. I know, i started it FOREVER ago, but i've had a bit of a writer's block, and the beautiful angsty show Supernatural showed it's beautiful face (in the form of Jensen Ackles) and it begged me to write fan fiction for that. I'll try to keep writing it and maybe it'll be up soon if at least one of you guys wants it. If you have any questions about this chapter or the sequel, review (so I can PM you back) or if you don't have an account, leave your email address, and i'll answer questions or whatever.

I hope you liked this story, and I hope you cried sometime during it (sorry, but if you ever had someone cry over something you wrote, you'd know what I mean) lol.

please review

-Kaisa


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